If you created the perfect volleyball fable, it might start as a big city kid's dream which starts on the playground. Or maybe it starts as a small town kid's dream. Where kids grow up with tools in one hand, a volleyball in the other, and dreams of glory in their heads. This is where the story of California Lady Pintos Volleyball star Ella Lewis begins.
The oldest of four kids, Lewis was born in Jefferson City, but was raised in the tiny town of Otterville for most of her childhood. Her parents worked on a farm and she always gave her help whenever her parents needed her. It was a childhood that other kids would not be fond of, although not for Ella. Life on the farm suited her well.
"I went to school in Otterville until I was in eighth grade. So I was kind of raised in the Otterville and Syracuse area. I was raised on a farm. We had cattle, horses, chickens, you name it and we had it," Lewis said, "Our closest neighbors were like a mile away. We were kind of out in the middle of a cornfield. So we grew up appreciating the little things in life and understanding the meaning of hard work. I definitely loved growing up on the farm with my family."
Despite all the work that Lewis had to help with on the family farm, she soon took an interest in volleyball after learning about it from her mother, who was a collegiate volleyball player at Missouri Southern University in Joplin. Lewis said she first started to taking her volleyball skills to a competitive level when she was in middle school and soon earned a spot on the 417 Columbia Juniors club and travel team.
Up until she moved to California in 2018, Lewis was taught and coached in volleyball by her mom who was at the time the volleyball coach for Otterville High School. When Lewis moved to California, she knew almost immediately the move was a good chance for her and she quickly found another guiding light in volleyball under Lady Pintos head coach Julie Bailey.
"She (Coach Bailey) was there when I was a freshman. She coached me for three years when I was with the Lady Pintos from my sophomore year to my freshman year," Lewis said. "I think I set into a leader role early on. I was kind of always had an outgoing personality, so leadership feel in easily. And I feel like with Coach Bailey and I were close enough to where she would kind of rely on me a little bit. We kind of talked about what we wanted each season to look like. And I think we all did our part to make it happen."
During her preparation to play volleyball at the high school level, Lewis had already been trained as a frontline player. She was already 5 feet 11 inches tall with a high vertival jump and a long wingspan, but Coach Bailey wanted her to be equipped for the long stretch of a two to three month season.
Lewis spent much of her off-season training her body. In particular her legs and feet to help her fulfill her role on the front line.
"I did a lot of box jumps and ladder exercises. You've got have to be quick on your toes and you have to be lean enough to jump pretty high and have strong shoulders to swing at the ball. I always had an issue with shoulder problems because you're swinging at the ball and giving it all that you've got," Lewis said. "It's almost like you have to have eyes in the back of your head. So you can see where the ball is at all times. Because at a big majority of the game, the ball is behind you and you just have to trust that the ball is going to get to the setter."
After finishing her freshman season with a 17-3-1 record while playing for the junior varsity team, Lewis was upgraded to the varsity team as a sophomore and not only saw more playing time, but also more chances to be a better player and teammate. The Lady Pintos won 24 matches going into the district tournament and after dispatching Southern Boone in the semifinals, Lewis and the Lady Pintos were the underdogs going into the district title match against arch rival Blair Oaks. But California turned the title match upside down and surprised the crowd by knocking off the 30 win Lady Falcons in straight sets and won the 2019 district title.
"I remember that game. It was intense and I remember being so nervous right before the game even started and my teammate Paige Lamm was like 'It's just another game. It's just another game. As soon as you start playing, you'll forget what's at stake.' I felt like all of us forgot we were playing for a championship," said Lewis. "We were just playing to have fun and whenever they made that last kill, it was like 'Holy smokes! We just did that!'"
The Lady Pintos went on to lose in the state sectionals to Logan-Rogersville High School. But that feeling of victory never went away for Lewis and she longed to get another shot and winning a district championship. Her junior season in 2021 saw a change in the high school volleyball format. Matches were now determined by best three-out-of-five instead of best two-out-of-three. California was excited about the change in format and looked to take advantage of it.
Lewis and the Lady Pintos put forth another strong regular season by winning 24 out of 31 matches. But when it came time to defend their district crown, they were swept aside by the Osage Lady Indians 3-0 in the semifinals.
The ending to her junior season lit a fire underneath Lewis and that failure made her even more determined to not come up short in districts again. The 2021 season was her senior season and her last chance to taste the district championship again.
California burst out of the starting gate and seemed larger than life when they won 14 of their first 17 matches. But they soon ran into their first major roadblocks of the season. California lost to Blair Oaks twice, and were also upset by schools such as Hickman, Fatima, and Helias Catholic. Lewis said that the loss to the Lady Crusaders of Helias Catholic was her favorite game she had ever played in high school.
The Lady Pintos still earned the #1 seed in the district tournament and got to host the tournament at California High School. California soundly beat Versailles in the semifinals 3-0 and were up 2-0 on Eldon in the finals. Only one set win away from their second district title in three years. However, Eldon looked to crash the celebration and had Lady Pintos on the ropes with a 23-17 lead in the third set. The Lady Mustangs were in control of the set, but then, out of nowhere, California caught fire and scored nine of the last ten points to win the set, the match, and the district title.
"I think we all just wanted to be done. I think we were all really tired. We just wanted to get those last couple points and get out of there," Lewis said. "If they won that set, we would've had the momentum and adrenaline from winning the set which would've carried over to the next one and we just weren't willing to take that chance."
"It was an amazing feeling to win districts again. I have goosebumps like talking about it. I remember it was like deja vu, it was like my sophomore year, it was Paige Lamm and I. She was the older and I was the younger," Lewis added. "Then senior year, it was me and Lauren Friedrich. I was in Paige's role this time as the older one. I had totally forgotten what this felt like. This is like the best feeling on earth and you kind of live off that high for the rest of your life."
Lewis' high school career ended in the state sectional round once again to the Odessa Lady Bulldogs 3-0. But while her final game ended in tears of sorrow, Lewis' high school career truly ended in tears of joy with all of her accolades. Among Lewis' accolades were three all-conference team awards, three all-district team awards, four academic all-state volleyball awards, two district titles, and an overall career record of 92-25-6.
On January 31, with family and teammates by her side, Lewis signed a letter of commitment to play collegiate volleyball for William Woods University alongside former teammate Paige Lamm. Lewis will be heading to William Woods in two weeks to get prepared for the upcoming volleyball season and the fall semester. But before she heads off to college, Lewis left behind a legacy of volleyball excellence and a message to the citizens of California.
"I want to thank all of them for the support. I was astounded really about how it almost felt like a little family. Like i didn't grow up in California, but I was welcome. Like I knew a lot of people that just come to the game and they didn't even know us. But they would still cheer us on and support us," said Lewis. "They made you feel like family even though you weren't related to them. So I want to thank all the people of California for their support and the atmosphere that they created. It's amazing and I can't wait to come back. Hopefully I'll be able to raise my kids there."
Lewis was a star at California High School. Winning two district title, three all-conference team honors, three all-district team honors, and four academic all-state volleyball honors. (Photo courtesy of Ella Lewis)
Lewis won two district titles with the Lady Pintos as a sophomore in 2019 and a senior in 2021. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Ella Lewis signed with Williams Woods University on January 31. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Ella Lewis signed with Williams Woods University on January 31. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Lewis with her high school teammates at her signing ceremony on January 31. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)