When she took the job four years ago, Maryville coach Lori Klaus saw the vast potential in her bumper crop of freshmen. From outside hitter to the back row, she envisioned the complex puzzle of players shaping up into something special.

But not even Klaus could foresee this for her Spoofhounds.

With just one loss on the season, Maryville enters today’s Class 2 Missouri Volleyball Championships with the best winning percentage of any team that takes the court at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. It marks the school’s first appearance in the state tournament in just its third postseason appearance.

“I looked at it four years ago knowing this was a very talented group, and they’ve just made it happen,” Klaus said.

On the way to becoming a state contender, Maryville’s biggest leap forward came at the net. Seniors Jordan Stiens and Jessica From form one of the most formidable up-front tandems thanks to their solid all-around talent — both offensively and defensively.

Stiens, especially, has emerged as one of the most ferocious hitters in Class 2 and recorded double-digit kills during last week’s back-to-back playoff victories. While she has garnered much of the attention, and deservedly so, Stiens deflected the attention to her solid supporting cast.

“I don’t really look at it all on one person,” Stiens said. “I think it’s really important that if one of us is having an off day, the other person is there for you.

“That way, other teams can’t just pick on one person. We’re all on the same level.”

With her crisp passes, junior setter Rachel Tobin first comes to mind, but another pair of unsung heroines have shone for the Spoofhounds all year long out of the spotlight’s glare. From her libero position, senior Leah Bostwick nearly always sets Maryville’s offense in motion with her solid defensive work, while front-line players Libbey Howell and Tracy Jensen use their diverse skill sets to keep opponents off balance.

Thanks to an equal helping of talent and depth, the Spoofhounds can exploit opponents in any number of ways and hope to do just that during today’s round-robin style semifinals. Maryville first takes the court against College Heights Christian at 9 a.m. before later matches against Scott City and Hermann.

“Really we don’t have a weak link on our team,” Klaus said. “Everyone really holds their own, and we’re confident all the way around.”

Regardless of the team’s finish, Klaus already believes the season has surpassed every expectation of success. But the core class of seniors have re-sculpted their goals one again, hoping to become girls team to claim a state championship and bring the first state title to Maryville since the boys’ golf team won in 2001.

“I think it was kind of an unspoken goal from the beginning, but we kind of didn’t want to jinx ourselves,” Klaus said. “This whole season has just been making history, and it’s been an awesome ride.”

Sports reporter Andy Meyer can be reached

at andymeyer@npgco.com