Family Ties Central To Gunter’s Budding Bulldog Career
October 22, 2021 | Volleyball, Joel Coleman
Lilly Gunter is now starring under Julie Darty Dennis after previously playing for Dennis’ sister.
STARKVILLE – When Mississippi State head volleyball coach Julie Darty Dennis starts putting together a recruiting class, she likes to start with finding a libero. A good libero can help lay the foundation for those around her, aiding in ball control and helping set up hitters for the kill.
Dennis was constructing her 2020 recruiting class when one particular player had caught her eye. Her name was Lilly Gunter, at the time an outside hitter down at Oviedo High School in Florida. Dennis likes to turn outsides into liberos and she loved what she saw in Gunter. Fortunately for Dennis, she knew Gunter's prep coach well. It was her sister, Jen Darty.
"I learned so much from [Jen] and she was just such a great coach and friend to me," Gunter said as she reflected earlier this week. "I just loved the relationship I had with her. That's kind of how I got introduced to [Dennis]."
Dennis was still the head coach at Jacksonville University when Gunter originally popped up on the radar. That was a recruiting roadblock because Gunter envisioned herself playing college volleyball a little further away from home. She wanted to venture out.
Fast-forward a bit and Dennis was later tabbed as the head coach at MSU. Gunter then came to Starkville for a few camps, as well as a campus visit, and her mind was soon made up. She was going to be a Bulldog.
"I loved [MSU] and I loved [Dennis]," Gunter said. "Since I knew [Jen] so well, that's how I knew I would love [Dennis] as a coach, too."
A little more than a year into Gunter's career, she's once again shining for a Darty sister and has helped MSU to its best Southeastern Conference start in program history.
The Same, But Different
Gunter had opportunities to play elsewhere, but nowhere else could give Gunter such a sense of familiarity.
"Lilly is a kid that I've known for a long time," Dennis said. "Obviously, I have a great relationship with her high school coach. For Lilly, I felt like it was a comfort thing where she knew me and my family. It was a familiar feel that leads to a good trust from the start."
Like sliding into new shoes that are the same style as the previous ones, going from playing on Darty's team to playing on Dennis' could've had at least a bit of a déjà vu feeling for Gunter.
"People say we look like twins, but [Jen] has brown hair," Dennis said. "We act similar."
However Gunter says there are certainly differences between her former coach and current one. They share the same blood and some tendencies, but each have characteristics that set them apart as coaches.
"[Jen] is very intense I would say, in a good way," Gunter said. "She really just pushes the best out of her team and she really cares about everyone from the coaching staff to the players. She just pours everything into them…I would say [Dennis] is all those things, but I think [Dennis] isn't quite as animated. [Jen] is a little bit more, 'Rah, rah' I guess, but [Dennis] is just kind of like levelheaded."
Gunter's description seems to fit with the one given by Dennis. MSU's leader says her sister is certainly more vocal and, to a degree, that has led to at least some adjustments having to be made by Gunter.
"My sister never stops talking during a match," Dennis said. "High school is different, so Lilly probably wants way more feedback than we're giving her. The college level is all about problem solving on your own and making those adjustments. Jen talks all the time in a match, and I will talk to [Gunter] when I need to. Lilly tells me that she needs more feedback. I respond by telling her some stuff, she has to figure out on her own. I can't fix it for her. That's probably what would be the biggest difference [between Jen and me] in my mind."
So it seems fair to say – to Gunter – Dennis and Darty are similar, but different at the same time.
"I think there's certain things she finds comforting about both of us," Dennis said. "I told her I'm sure there are things that you wish I was more like Jen, but I'm not. We can have those kind of talks and open up to each other. I want what's best for Lilly, and she knows that. Sometimes, it's uncomfortable, but I'm here to push her."
Whether it's the familiar traits recognized from high school, or the new things she's has had to adapt to, it has all come together to make Gunter one of the SEC's best at her position.
Good From The Jump
Not many student-athletes can immediately step into the SEC and produce. Count Gunter among the few.
"Ever since she has stepped into this gym, she has made some great plays," Dennis said. "Even as a freshman, we got excited about the future where if this kid can wear the [libero] jersey for four years, she will do something special here that no one has done before."
Gunter had a unique, but fantastic, debut season in 2020-21. It was split into fall and spring campaigns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When it was all said and done, Gunter had started every single set, led the team in digs, once won the SEC's Freshman of the Week Award and ultimately was one of seven players in the entire league to be chosen to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Gunter has carried her tremendous debut season into this year. She entered this week sixth in all the SEC in digs. She's reeled in 10 or more digs in 16 of the 18 matches she's played in and has eclipsed 20 digs in a match six times already.
Most importantly, Gunter has been a critical piece of State's hot start. The Bulldogs sit at 14-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play headed into this weekend's two home matches against Texas A&M.
But what makes Gunter so good at what she does?
"If you are wearing that [libero] jersey, you have to be the best passer on the court," Dennis said. "On defense, it's about being in the right place at the right time. So much of our system is putting the libero in the right spot because all the research we do. Lilly has a great feel, great feet and she sees the ball really well. She is a great passer. That's the first thing I worry about. If you can't pass, you can't even get in position to play defense. You have to have great confidence and a great serve. She has really done a great job of polishing her serve and having a variety with it."
Gunter lays out her path to production this way:
"I would say definitely just controlling the back court. I mean, you're always having the first contact. You want to make it as good as possible for the rest of the play and help out your setters to get a good set to the outside, or the front row hitters, so I think just being really into the play on the back court and trying to take every ball. You have the green light back there, and, I would say, just also effort and communication goes a long way with your teammates and being successful being back there."
Gunter also has intangibles that are to her benefit. Dennis sees those frequently.
"Lilly is a tough cookie," Dennis said. "I think she demands perfection within herself. She's one of the most lovable kids on the team. She has had a great career already. She has high expectations of herself, and she doesn't want to let you down. I tell her all the time that she has never let me down. I have so much confidence in her and would never want anyone but her here."
All About The Team
There's another trait that has helped Gunter become a vital piece for MSU. There's an unselfishness to her that allows her to be completely zeroed in on team success over individual accolades.
"Lilly is not looking for the praise," Dennis said. "She doesn't want the spotlight, and she is a more of a do-my-job type of kid. She will be confident when she does it. She might even shy away from the spotlight."
Like an offensive lineman in football who might make a key block that leads to a touchdown, Gunter is often silently paving the way for Bulldog success. There's a key dig here, or a great pass there. It might set up a big play for someone else wearing Maroon and White and for Gunter, that's perfectly fine.
"Yes, the hitters get the glory and stuff, but that's not a big deal to me," Gunter said. "I think they deserve it. So honestly, I'm just doing my job and helping them out. It's all I can do and that's just all that I want. I love my position. Like I love making the digs and stuff. That's just so fun for me, and so, I mean, it's really not that big of a deal [to not get a lot of attention]."
Family
It's easy to not fish for kudos when your only focus is the betterment of the team. And it's easy to keep the team first when you care about your teammates.
"I think this team and the coaching staff and all of that is really good," Gunter said. "That's something we need to be thankful for is just how we have all these components and I think we do just have great relationships on and off the court."
Family brought Gunter to Mississippi State with the handoff of Gunter from Darty over to Dennis. Because of that, now Gunter is thriving and helping push her Bulldog family to newfound heights. Perhaps the most exciting thing is, the best might very well be yet to come.
"She's having a great experience here and I know she loves it," Dennis said. "I'm excited to see where she'll end up at the end of this year and where she can take us."
