Area prep volleyball teams have plenty returnees for 2026 season

Sometimes to take a step forward you have to take a step back.\

That's what happened a year ago to the Fall Creek High School prep volleyball team.

After starting the season with a squad which was heavy on talent but light on experience, went backwards as far the record went. Although the Crickets had a winning season and started out okay at 15-8 overall and near the start of October 2025 were 19-12, tough losses to Bloomer and Cadott in Western Cloverbelt Conference action plsu some season-ending injuries sent the season into a tailspin. FC barely finished above .500 at 22-21, 1-6 in the WCC

Now in 2026 it's not one step back according to the Crickets. In fact they've been leaping forward off to a 15-3 start thanks to a bevy of experienced, talented players back for this season.

Fall Creek has 11 returning letterwinners such as senior and all-conference honorable mention Allison Holman, senior Rian Moyer-Johnson, senior Ashleigh Lewis, senior Morgan Holden, junior Lauren Kurtz, junior Johannah Grossinger, junior Tessa Schroeder, junior Jaelyn Martzke, junior Gracie Saastad, junior Jasmine Randall and junior Makayla Coleman. The only graduated seniors were Corina Grossinger and Maddison Halverson.

"Our expectations are higher this year with the number of returning players we have," head coach Matt P[rissel said. "Many of these girls were key contributors last year and the experience they gained should be helpful as we take the court this fall. The hope will be that we can play at a higher level and achieve more success and compete in the always competitive Western Cloverbelt Conference and be playing our best volleyball of the season when the post-season arrives."

So far, so good for the Crickets. They opened things up in a new location, Just -A - Game Fieldhouse for the Dells Sprawl on Aug. 26-27. FC won its pool on day one with wins over Fennimore 25-12, 25-23
Ripon 25-21, 25-11, Green Bay Preble 26-24, 25-23 and Boscobel 25-8, 25-7. Playing in the championship pool the following day, FC Fall Creek def. Westby 25-13, 25-15 and Richland Center 25-13, 25-15
but lost to Webster in the finals 25-19, 25-15 to finish second out of 24 teams.

Next up was the Marathon Tournament on Aug. 29. There the Crickets Fall Creek def. Rib Lake 25-17, 25-14; lost to the host school 25-18, 23-25, 15-9; def. Thorp 25-13, 25-14; def. Stratford 25-19, 25-16
and def. Marathon 9-25, 25-21, 15-8 and the championship match re-match.

"We had a nice comeback win in the championship match to defeat Marathon." Prissel said.

Fall Creek picked up three more wins in a quadrangular meet it hosted last week Tuesday, Sept. 1. FC Fall Creek def. Eleva Strum 25-14, 25-14; def Durand-Arkansaw 25-15, 25-12 and def. Mondovi 25-16, 25-11. Two days later the Crickets went 2-1 at a quad. meet hosted by Eau Claire Regis. FC lost to Barron 25-16, 25-21 but def. Altoona 25-13, 25-16 and def. EC Regis 25-10, 25-18.

Next up for the Crickets is next weekend's Sparta Invitational on the 12th. They begin WCC action on the 14th hosting Elk Mound at 7 p.m. The projected Conference Race will have Chippewa Falls McDonell and Stanley-Boyd as the top two teams just like a year ago.

Another Area prep volleyball team with lots of experienced players back is Eleva-Strum. Some seven letterwinners that saw considerable time on varsity last season on a 20-8 squad which finished 6-4 in the Dairyland Conference. These include senior libero Avery Spanberg, Maddea Brown, Josie Iverson, Mariah Steffenson, Dahlia Lonetree-Rindahl, Avaya Zwiefelhofer and junior outside hitter Brenley Bauer. What the Cardinals lack, however, is the middle blocker role so well filled for four years by Aliza Kulig, who is now at Viterbo, along with the serving of graduated senior Ruby Bartholomew, now at St. Catherine's, and Gabby Franck, who, like Kulig, made All-Dairyland. Adjustments will have to be made and thus the Cardinals have struggled to start the season. They won their home opener over Neillsville 25-23, 22-25, 25-12, 25-12 on Aug. 27 but only went 1-2 at the FC Quad last week, losing to Fall Crek 25-14, 25-14 and Mondovi 25-15, 25-15 while beating Durand-Arkansaw 19-25, 25-14, 15-10. The Cards went 1-3 this weekend in the Bangor In-Season Invitational with their lone win coming vs. Prairie du Chien 2-1 while losing to Viroqua 2-0, Bangor 2-1 and Wonewoc Center 2-1. The 3-5 Cards begin DC play next week Thursday at home vs. Alma/Pepin beginning at 7 p.m.

Augusta has traditionally been a slow starter but the Beavers went 2-0 in a triangular at Loyal to start its regular season back on Aug. 25. The Beavers beat Loyal 25-16 & 25-22 and battled against Rib Lake winning 26-24 & 26-24. The scores were just as close at Chetek-Weyerhaeuser in a non-conference match. 25-23, 23-25, 24-26 and 24-26. The Beavers return all-conference hitter, senior Maddi Meyer, who just recorded her 500th kill in that match vs. C-W. Besides Meyers AHS returns a good number of returning letterwinners in seniors Kadyn Kirkham, Cecelia Schroeder, Stella Zank, Brooklyn Krueger and juniors Hailey Strauch and Rilee Behtke. Augusta competes in a quad meet at Greenwood on Tuesday, Sept. 8 before opening Dairyland play at Lincoln on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m.

Osseo-Fairchild has a new coach in Kelly Schulte but returns pretty much returns their entire roster other than Mikaela Kiesow from last season's 3-22 squad. The Thunder already have a win, going 1-2 at the Elmwood Invitational to begin the season back on Aug. 25. O-F lost to Elmwood-Plum City: 19–25, 23–25 but defeated Bruce: 25–23, 25–13 before losing to Independence/Gilmanton: 23–25, 21–25. Jasmine Curry, Jianna Scheffler & Addie Swanson were the team's kill leaders in the invite. The ace leader was Madi Lafky with nine and Sara Giacomino led the team in digs. Curry, Giacomo, setter Brylie Johnson and outside hitters Addy Swanson and Noelle Kiesow and Avery James are the seniors on the team while juniors include Lafky, Kierra Sieg, Jianna Schaffer, Krissi Brummond and Julia Whelan. O-F is back in action Tuesday, Sept. 8 at. home vs. Neillsville, open DC play Sept. 10 at Whitehall and play in the Chippewa Falls McDonell Invitational this Saturday, Sept. 12 before returning home Tuesday, Sept. 15 vs. Cochrane-Fountain City.