September 12, 2024

VOLLEYBALL: Wolverines hope offseason work aids their success

By Ryan Stonebraker
Nodaway Valley's Bailey Carstens rises up for a kill attempt in a match earlier this season against Mount Ayr. Carstens led the Wolverines during the regular season in blocks.

Nodaway Valley's Bailey Carstens rises up for a kill attempt in a match during the 2023 season against Mount Ayr. Carstens led the Wolverines during the regular season in blocks. (Caleb Nelson)

Season preparation is underway for the Nodaway Valley volleyball team as the season opener is coming up in less than two weeks. The Wolverines held open gyms over the summer to get ready for this season, had two camps and hosted a camp for kids in grades 1-6.

“We got to use these opportunities to help the younger kids in the school district get excited about volleyball,” said Nodaway Valley head Coach McKynli Newbury. The Wolverines traveled to the Central College team camp which Newbury thought was a good experience.

“Going to Pella for the Central Camp was helpful. We got to play live matches against teams that we likely won’t see this year and a lot of them in a few days,” Newbury said.

Additionally, Coach Carolyn Campbell from Southeast Community College out of Lincoln, Nebraska came to town July 25 to put on a camp for the 7th-12th grade players.

The Wolverines were 8-18 last year and graduated from last year senior captains Lindsey Davis, Emma Lundy and Genevieve Livingston, as well as Bella Hogan and Megan McCall. Davis and Livingston led in kills with 207 and 146. Lundy was the top Wolverine setter last year with 454 assists. The trio combined to be the top three Wolverine serve leaders. Hogan added 57 kills, 35 digs, and 18 blocks.

Senior Bailey Carstens will be the big hitter for the Wolverines this year and brings back the top numbers in kills with 94, third on the team last year, and she led NV in blocks last year with 54. Carstens also is one of the top servers coming back, having gone 129-of-149 with 17 aces.

Also back will be hitter Izzy Eisbach, who was fifth in kills last year as a sophomore with 42. Eisbach added 94 digs, and 13 blocks and served 129-for-148 with 19 aces.

Senior Liv Laughery returns to anchor the Wolverines’ back row and serve in the libero spot. She was third on the team in digs last season with 192 and fourth in serving, going 195-for-205.

“Bailey and Izzy are our two top hitters back this year. They have a lot of experience and they have good swings. We also have freshman Taylor Laughery working on the outside. We should be good up front at the net,” said Newbury.

“Liv will anchor the back row as the libero. We look forward to having her back and continuing in the role she was in last year. She had a good junior year in the sports she was in and went to state track,” Newbury added.

Other players on the roster are senior Kaylynn Virtue, junior Kylie Nelson, sophomores Adalaine Livingston, Allie Corneilson, and Ava Armstrong, and freshmen Ava Herrick and Karissa Groves. The younger Laughery could be an all-around player.

Two players are injured as the team begins its march to the season opener on Saturday, August 31 at the Colfax-Mingo tournament. Junior Caroline Britten will miss the season due to an injury over the summer and sophomore Addi Herr will also miss time due to injury. Both played junior varsity and varsity last season in the back row. The Wolverines also picked up a Creston transfer in sophomore Addyson Evans.

The Pride of Iowa Conference is doing something different with its volleyball scheduling this season. Instead of playing select POI foes, everyone will play everyone. This is because the POI lost Bedford as a member this season as the Bulldogs left for the Corner Conference, which makes the POI have nine conference members. The solution was to play triangulars each night. The Wolverines, for example, will play four conference triangular meets and all eight other conference members. The Wolverines will play at Lenox against the Tigers and Wayne Sept. 10, and at Southwest Valley against the Timberwolves and Central Decatur Sept. 24.

The Wolverines will host East Union and Martensdale-St. Marys Sept. 17 and host Mount Ayr and Southeast Warren Oct. 1 for senior night. The Wolverines will play weekend tournaments Saturday, Oct. 5 at Greene County and Saturday, Oct. 19 at Woodward-Granger.