Coaching staff:
Head Coach: Kasie Holt, 1st year Varsity Head Coach, 8th year with Merrill Volleyball
Assistant Coach: Lindsay Krueger, 3rd year
Statistician: Lindsey Casper, 5th year
JV Coach: Jamie Pieper, 2nd Year
JV2 Coach: Molly Dallman, 2nd year
Key returners:
Every single one of our 11 returning players are an important piece to the puzzle of being successful this year. Avery and Emma Hoff return as our starting setters, with Avery being one of our strongest outside hitters. Katie Heckendorf saw limited varsity playing time last year, but has really solidified her swing–that combined with her quickness and vertical is going to be tough for others to compete against. Chloe McRae and Lex Emmer return as our starting middle hitters, both bringing their attacks to a new level. McKenna Meyer and Emerson Iwen round out our strong front row on the right side. Our backrow is solid with Maddy Ott, Jalie Severt, and Ava Detert–all three are quick, scrappy, smart, and some of our strongest servers as well. Finally, Anna Bowe is returning with an unfortunate knee injury that is keeping her from physically playing on the court. However, that has not stopped Anna. She is a phenomenal leader and just as important off the court as she was on it. She is able to see through the net so well and help her teammates with whatever they need to be successful.
Key newcomers:
Grace Reimann, Freshman, OH
Keys to your success this season:
This year, 10 of our 15 varsity players are seniors and 2 are returning juniors. When you have a team with that many upperclassmen and that much experience, you expect magical things to happen. Again, we have the physical talent, it will be a true test to see if we can win the mental game. We have switched up a few things with our offense that I think will be important to gaining momentum right away in matches. I believe in these girls and I believe all of our goals are attainable this season.
Coach’s comments: anything else you’d like to share?
Our seniors picked this year’s team slogan to be “Leading a Legacy.” At first, I thought, “Shouldn’t it be ‘Leaving a Legacy’?” I was instantly reminded of this past year with Kris Krug retiring and the legacy that she left. Kris was the head coach for Merrill Volleyball for 24 years and has built one of the most successful athletic programs at Merrill High School. I have been thankful to have been able to soak up as much knowledge as I can from her these last seven years. I have surrounded myself with a coaching staff that are all Merrill Volleyball alumni; together we complement each other well to make a great team. Between our smart, kind, and talented players and our coaching staff’s passion, pride, and knowledge–I am so excited to lead this new legacy together.
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2023-24 Area Conference Schedules: Conference and Team Links
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
