By leading Ozark to the Class 5 Final Four, Tara Venable has reaffirmed the highest of regard coach Adeanna Brewer has for her junior outside hitter.
Brewer is in her 12th season at Ozark, this is the fifth Lady Tigers team she will take to State, and she’s coached multiple players who have gone on to play college ball.
Venable is at the top of Brewer’s list.
“I always feel blessed to know I have the opportunity to coach Tara,” Brewer said. “We've had a lot of talent come through Ozark, especially at outside hitter. She is the best volleyball player I've been able to have the pleasure coaching.”
Venable is actually well-versed in Ozark’s storied history. She was attending Lady Tigers matches as far back as she can remember.
Growing up, Venable’s idol was 2011 Ozark grad Jade Hayes, the Gatorade Missouri Player of The Year in 2010 who went on to play at Mizzou and Central Florida and also played beach volleyball for South Carolina.
“I've liked her because she’s an indoor and a beach player,” Venable said.
Venable is motivated to leave behind the same kind of legacy Hayes has at Ozark.
“That is the end of the day goal, to try to leave a mark,” Venable said. “I have really high standards and am pretty hard on myself. I try to be perfect, even though you can't be perfect. I'm learning to play with confidence, that's helping me a lot.”
Free of any semblance of an ego is just another reason Venable is beloved by her coach and teammates.
“She's so good all-around and I don't even think she realizes it,” Brewer said. “She has no idea how good she is. She's so selfless and humble. She sometimes surprises herself in what she is able to do. That humbleness is infectious to her teammates. She also has the ability to make people around her better.”
“Sometimes, she hits a ball and really puts the ball down hard and I'll think, 'I can't believe she's on our team,'" outside hitter Aubrey Browning said. “She’s an amazing person, as well.”
“Along with her kills and what everybody sees, she's a great leader,” defensive specialist Brooklyn Solomon said.
Venable collected 12 kills, three blocks and three aces in Ozark’s Quarterfinal sweep of Blue Springs South on Saturday.
Brewer said it's fulfilling for her to see a player respond so well to post-season pressure.
"It's easy for me to connect to Tara because I'm highly competitive," Brewer said. "It's fun to coach those kids who have that gear. You know they're going to be gritty and play relentless volleyball."
Turns out, basketball’s loss was volleyball’s gain.
Venable was a multi-sport athlete during her formative years and, at one point, appeared on her way toward following her mother’s lead. Brandy (Bough) Venable was an all-state basketball player for Ozark.
“I actually almost quit volleyball for basketball,” Tara said. “But I fell in love with volleyball and quit everything else.”
Venable feels giving up other sports has helped bring out her best in volleyball.
“I've thought about playing other sports. But, I got injured playing five sports at a time," she said. "I decided volleyball is my thing and quit everything else to focus on private lessons and getting all my work in for just volleyball.”
