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DURANT, Iowa – Softball was Renee Telsrow’s first crush.

Volleyball has become the Durant-Bennett senior’s lasting love.

“It actually took a little bit of time for me to like volleyball,” she said. “I played a lot of softball and was in ASA (Amateur Softball Association of America) growing up. Volleyball was like my least favorite sport.

“Now it’s my favorite. It’s definitely odd how it turns around.”

Telsrow is a significant reason the Wildcats are off to a 13-0 start this fall and ranked eighth in Class 2A.

The outside hitter has compiled a conference-best 131 kills in 34 games (3.85 per game) and sports a hitting efficiency of .388.

“She’s taken it to another level,” Durant coach John Walsh said. “We’ve always known she’s a good player and she knows the game well, but to be as prolific as she’s been in the first few matches of the season has been a pleasant surprise.”

Telsrow played sparingly as a freshman and sophomore on the varsity before earning a starting spot last season. She was third on the team in kills and owned a .222 hitting percentage.

A year later, she is Durant’s unquestioned go-to player on the front line.

Entering Tuesday night’s match with Mid-Prairie, she had 79 more attack attempts than anyone else on the roster.

Walsh attributes it to having more “shots in her bag now.” Telsrow attended a hitting camp twice a week this summer in Cedar Rapids that helped expand her arsenal.

“Renee is a smart hitter,” setter Allison Ralfs said. “She can hit the lines, but she can hit crosscourt, hit cut shots and tip to different spots on the court. She really does a nice job of mixing it up.”

Telsrow said that comes with experience.

“The time I’ve put in on the court has helped me,” she noted. “I was comfortable last year, but I have even more confidence in myself now. I know what shots are open now.

“Last year, I hit a lot of line (shots). Now I’m doing more crosscourt and cut shots.”

That versatility, coupled with her 6-foot frame, has made her a difficult matchup for teams in the Cedar Valley Conference. In last Thursday’s win over Iowa City Regina, Telsrow had a match-high 22 kills.

“You just kind of expect her to put the ball down when you set it to her,” Ralfs said. “She’s come through in a lot of games for us.”

Since it’s still relatively young in the season, Walsh said teams haven’t tried to key their defense toward Telsrow.

“Renee was like third on our team in kills last season, so I don’t think teams are ready for her to come out and be our kill leader and the one to watch out for so far,” said Walsh, in his 12th season as head coach.

Telsrow started playing volleyball in fifth grade. Two years later, she began participating in club volleyball.

“That’s when it became a lot of fun,” she said. “Now, I love volleyball. I’m ready to put in the time commitment for it because I enjoy it so much.”

Currently, she plays with the Eastern Iowa Outlaws – a club team comprised of elite players.

Eventually, Telsrow plans to take her game to the collegiate level – “probably a Division III school,” she said. Telsrow wants to stay in the Midwest and is searching for a school that offers a nursing program.

“Athletics are important, but so are academics,” she said. “With nursing, that has narrowed it down quite a bit.”

In the meantime, Telsrow is hoping to take her team on a lengthy postseason run in the coming months. With all but two players back from last season, the Wildcats are poised for a trip to the state tournament.

“I think we can make it very far,” Telsrow said. “We’ve been doing very well up until now, and it’s my senior year. I really want to make it all the way.”

First, Ralfs said Durant would like to make it six straight conference championships. After that, it wants to make it four state tournament appearances in five years for the Wildcats.

“We want to make it to state and show it wasn’t just that class that can play,” Ralfs said. “We’ve got a lot of good players here, and it’s all clicking right now.”

Preps to watch

Here are some of the other noteworthy high school performers this past week in the Journal circulation area:

- Jonathan Lopez, West Liberty, football: The senior had three interceptions during the Comets’ 29-13 win over Tipton. In fact, Lopez has picked off six passes in three games. He also caught four passes for 72 yards and a touchdown against the Tigers.

- Sarah Martin, Muscatine, swimming: In dual meets against Pleasant Valley and Iowa City West, Martin captured first place in the diving competition. She was also apart of the winning 200 freestyle relay in both of those duals, and she won the 500 freestyle in the PV dual.

- Sam Chaney, Columbus, cross country: The senior is the top-ranked runner in Class 2A and with good reason. He is undefeated in four races after recording victories at Keota and the Benton Invitational last week. He won those two events by 44 and 38 seconds, respectively.

- Jake Goering, Durant, football: The senior tailback had a career-high 203 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 28-0 victory at Iowa Valley. Goering, who has compiled 425 yards in three games, is averaging more than 5.3 yards per carry.