As Claire Henney approached her senior season, she expected to be Grant’s No. 2 outside hitter again.

After all, the one-two punch of Katelyn Rossini and Henney, both juniors at the time, powered the Bulldogs to 21 wins and their first regional title last year.

But things changed when Rossini suffered a shoulder injury before this season started. No. 2 suddenly was No. 1.

“Losing such a great player as Katelyn hurt because we came into the season with such high expectations with just about everybody coming back from last season,” Henney said. “Fortunately, we have still a lot good players who can get the job done. But it’s taken a while to get everyone on the same page.”

The 5-foot-9 Henney was ready for the challenge, however. She leads Northern Lake County Conference co-leader Grant (13-13, 5-0) in kills, having exceeded 100 for the season, in a balanced offense.

“I worked hard in the offseason with my club team trying to be stronger with my swing,” Henney said. “I’ve also improved my awareness at the net.”

Rossini, a Bryant commit who hasn’t played in a match this season, piled up 331 kills and was named all-conference last year. Henney had 141 kills.

Grant senior setter Clara O’Brien, a Carthage commit, has more options in the front row this season.

“Alyssa Sandquist has done a great job for us on the other side, and senior transfer Josie Torrey has really stepped in and made an impact,” Grant coach John Gizowski said. “Plus, our freshman Zendrea Pfau has also made a big contribution this season.

“The key for us this season has been finding lineups that can be successful without Rossini and with several new players. We have been playing much better lately.”

The Bulldogs’ recent 26-24, 25-23 loss to Richmond-Burton, the Kishwaukee River Conference leader, showed their improvement.

“The team just went out there and played loose and had fun, and it showed when we do that, we can play with just about anybody,” Gizowski said. “A match like that should give us some confidence for the rest of the season, especially if we continue to play well defensively like we did.”

Grant has two conference matches left, including the regular-season finale against co-leader Lakes on Oct. 19. Henney is eyeing the Bulldogs’ first conference title since 2016.

“It would be great to play them in a big match like that, especially if we get a big crowd to come watch,” she said. “When we get our fans into the match, our team just seems to play at their best.”

Henney would also like to help Grant make another run in the postseason.

“It’s tough because there are so many good teams in this area,” she said. “But we proved that if we do the things that we need to do to be successful, we can get the job done.”

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Gizowski said he likes the makeup of the team, even with Rossini sidelined.

“We have a lot of seniors who had been through some amazing battles,” Gizowski said. “They know what it takes, and it will all come down to execution.”

Henney, one of those seniors, started her volleyball career in middle school. As a 5-1 seventh grader, she usually found herself at a defensive position. But she grew, and she earned a spot in Grant’s front row as a junior.

“I know I did not take the usual route to being a senior varsity player because I did not make the varsity team until I was a junior,” she said. “I was a little surprised I did so well as a junior. But I like to think I worked hard to get where I’m at now.”

Henney has become one of the Bulldogs’ go-to players.

“I know I’m going to have to make some big plays at times in order for us to reach our goals,” she said. “It would have been great to have Katelyn playing with us again. But I think we have proved that we have done a pretty good job filling in as a team to make up for her absence.”

Darren Day is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.