The most difficult thing the Mission Veterans defense faced at times was its own teammate — Rylie Barnett.
“She hits that ball so hard, if someone does get a block, it’s coming back at us even faster,” Veterans head coach Diana Lerma said. “We would practice that. Fortunately, it didn’t happen often. Rylie would hit over, through or around the block.”
Proof of that was Barnett’s 621 kills, 5.6 kills per set and a staggering near-50% (49.6) kill percentage. Because of her explosiveness and performance this season, Barnett has been named The Monitor’s 2021 All-Area Volleyball Hitter of the Year. It is the second straight year the junior bomb dropper has earned the distinction.
This year, however, Barnett was stronger, smarter and learned how to not just overpower everyone. She also perfected her back-row attacks, giving the 31-9 Patriots a more options on offense, even though those options usually ran through the 5-foot-11 hitter.
“She is a beast. There’s no other way to describe her and the things she can do,” Lerma said. “The difference this year was her determination to not just play all the way around but to bring points from the back row and to play middle if we needed her there. It’s not just about playing the position; the game is about points.
The good thing is now if I tell her, ‘I need you at middle,’ she’s become very understanding and she would tell me to put her wherever she’s needed.”
While known for her thunderous attacks that defenders often ducked away from or couldn’t get out of the way in time, Barnett became more adept and dangerous at looking for openings, oftentimes dropping the ball right behind the blocker from above.
“I think I had a lot more fun on the court this year,” said Barnett, who needs less than 500 kills to reach 2,000 for her career. “I didn’t let pressure or anybody from the outside influence or affect how I am — it was just all me zoned into what I was doing. It helped me perform the way I wanted to and was more aggressive.
“I played smarter and I definitely had to step up playing in a six rotation.”
She added 62 aces on the year, unleashing her fury from beyond the back line no different than at the net.
“She hits everything hard, whether she places it or is serving it,” Lerma said. “She brought it to faces, chests, shoulders. It just depended on how fast they would get out of the way. She understands the game much more now and she wasn’t to go to the next level after high school.”
The Patriots bring back their top four hitters next season, including Carla Guerrero, who was second on the team with 301 kills. Lerma said when opponents see Barnett, they know what they’re in for.
“She’s gonna be the only one to stop herself,” Lerma said. “This year maybe the biggest difference was how she led the team. It’s what a leader does from inside the court. Don’t just get upset.”
“She grew up a lot in the past year. Sure, the crowd loves the boom slamma jamma and she definitely did that, but it’s all about getting points and, as a leader, getting your teammates back in the game if they did something wrong. She learned the game more. She learned the numbers. She is blossoming.”
Her goals are set on next year’s team doing deeper than previous Patriots squads with that “Core-4” returning.
“We’re focused on winning district again, but getting farther into the playoffs,” she said. “Next year is our last go-around.”