High school volleyball: McKenna Qualls anchored Edmond Memorial through playoff run

A 31-5 record and a state runner-up finish, coming just a few point shy of a Class 6A title.

But internally, it wasn't exactly smooth. Long-time coach Edgar Miraku left to become the coach at Central Oklahoma after last season, and his replacement, Natalie Murray, stepped away after she gave birth in mid-September. Amanda Ayers, who played on Memorial's state title team in 2010, finished out the season as the coach.

But with all the shuffling, the players never got flustered. That's where McKenna Qualls comes in. The senior outside hitter anchored the Bulldogs' deep playoff run and helped hold the team together amid multiple coaching changes.

“The key was teamwork,” said Qualls, The Oklahoman's All-City Volleyball Player of the Year. “If the team had any kind of drama, it couldn't work. But we had a really good connection on the court, and from day one, we seemed to click together. We jived really well.”