Rivals and friends: Hard hitters Dewrock, Booker lead way for Dandy Dozen

Staff illustration by Mike Buhler Kennett's Ciara Dewrock (left) and South Pemiscot's Shelby Booker lead the Dandy Dozen Volleyball Team as the Daily Dunklin Democrat Players of the Year. [Click to enlarge]

On the volleyball court, Ciara Dewrock and Shelby Booker were intense rivals, battling for dominance in the Bootheel Conference.

Off the court, they're good friends.

"I love her to death," Booker said of Dewrock.

From rivalry to friendship, it is fitting that two of the best players on two of the best teams in the Bootheel are also the Daily Dunklin Democrat Players of the Year for volleyball.

Both players helped their teams have memorable seasons this fall on the court -- Dewrock led the Kennett Lady Indians to their third straight share of the Bootheel Conference title and their second straight conference tournament title, while Booker helped South Pemiscot earn a share of the league title and also win a district title.

"You have to know where she is on the floor and make sure you're matched up with her," said Kennett coach Laura Ort of Booker. "She plays so hard every point and competes each game."

Booker was a force on the net for the Lady Bulldogs, leading South Pemiscot to a 25-4 record this fall and its first district title since 2001. The Lady 'Dogs also handed Kennett its only loss in conference play since 2007.

"Shelby (was) our strongest hitter," South Pemiscot coach Jackie Booker -- who is also Shelby's mother -- said. "Fortunately for our team, we have her next year. She pushes herself and that makes the team push themselves. I push her harder than I do the rest because she is mine.

"When the girls, especially some of the younger girls, see her work so hard, they come in and they know they have to work just as hard, if not harder."

Shelby Booker also gave her teammates a lot of credit.

"We had a really good season and a really strong team that was very dedicated to volleyball and to helping each other out ..." Shelby said. "We were pushed by my mom and (assistant) coach (Pat) Woody big time just to do better. Even though we were small girls and weren't very tall, (they believed) we could be one of the better teams. We just acknowledged that and really went from there. That was what we fed off of."

On the other side of the Bootheel, Dewrock also dominated at the net with her jumping ability and hard hitting. She fueled Kennett to a 16-2 record in conference play throughout her three years on varsity and earned Bootheel Conference Player of the Year after the Lady Tribe swept the conference titles her senior season.

"Ciara is amazing," said Shelby Booker. "She is an awesome volleyball player -- actually just an awesome athlete. She's good at cheerleading, volleyball and softball. Everything she does, she's good at. She's intimidating on the court and off the court -- I love her to death."

Dewrock also stood out at the service line, serving several aces and sparking several runs by the Lady Tribe this season.

"Coaching Ciara has been a lot of fun," Ort said. "She's a tremendous athlete and she has a great work ethic. She has an unbelievable competitive edge. She has contributed greatly to each championship."

Like Shelby Booker, Dewrock also gave her teammates and coaches a large amount of credit for her and her team's success.

"I just worked hard. It's an honor being player of the year," Dewrock said. "We had a great coach that helped us and a new assistant coach, (Angie) Burnside, she helped a lot. They're good motivators."

After Kennett lost its conference opener to the Lady Bulldogs early in the season, the Lady Indians rebounded, not losing another conference game the rest of the season to earn a share of the Bootheel Conference title, then defeating South Pem in the finals of the conference tourney to win their second straight league tourney.

"Her and Audrey (Wynne) -- those were the two key players that we focused on when we played Kennett," said coach Booker. "We knew that to beat them, we had to do something with those two players.

"Every time we played them, it was a battle this year."

Despite all the battles and rivalries on the court, Dewrock and Shelby Booker are still friends at the end of the day.

"We played winter ball together, so we're close friends," said Dewrock. "But on the court, we just play for our team to win. We don't really worry about friendship. But off the court, we're really close."

Also making the Dandy Dozen are the Kennett trio of Wynne, Jody Vancil and Taylor Wake; the Senath-Hornersville duo of Megan Smith and Jami Jackson; Marquita Brodie and Samantha Davidson from South Pemiscot; Southland's Darcy McMinn; Tia Mitchell from Holcomb; and Cooter's Ashley Poe.

Honorable mentions: With so many talented players in our area, it's hard to fit just 12 of them onto one roster. Among the other players who stood out on the court are: Chrisie Burrow, Kennett; McKenzie Harris, Senath-Hornersville; Nydia Garza, Senath-Hornersville; Athena Harris, South Pemiscot; Elizabeth Weaver, Holcomb; Lori Gribble, Gideon; Jessica Coleman, Clarkton; Bobbie Corder, Campbell; and Kelsey Whitfield, Delta C7.