Area prep volleyball teams a mix of experience and inexperience

The 2025 prep volleyball season in the Tri-County Area is about new and old faces for the four area teams.

There's old faces like Eleva-Strum senior middle Aliza Kulig, who recorded her 500th kill in her four years with the Cards during a quadrangular last week Tuesday, Sept. 2 which also included Fall Creek, Durand-Arkansaw and Mondovi. She's one of many returning letterwinners back this fall for E-S. Augusta also has a good number of returning letterwinners.

Then there's Fall Creek, which saw six letterwinners depart from last season's 29-13 squad which made the regional finals: Grace Herrem, Anna Dougherty, Gracie Marten, Ella Solfest, Sophie Schmidgall, Lauren Dallas. Their returning letterwinners are: Corina Grossinger, Maddi Halverson, Allison Holman, Lauren Kurtz and Johannah Grossinger.

"This year we have a lot of new faces to the varsity program at Fall Creek who will all make a positive impact," head coach Matt Prissel said. "Jaelyn Martzke & Gracie Saastad will be helping run the offense from the setting position. Makayla Coleman and Jasmine Randall will become anchors of our backrow defense. Tessa Schroder's presence on the Right Side will continue to grow throughout the season. In the middle, Allison Holman and Johannah Grossinger will step up in a big way from "split time" last year to becoming "go to" players in our offense."

So far so good for this younger, less experienced Cricket squad which is learning the game quickly with a 12-6 overall record.. FC swept their way through the E-S quad beating Durand-Arkansaw 25-22 and 25-14 and Mondovi 25-13 and 25-19 and Eleva-Strum 2-1 after the Cardinals rallied to win Game 2 by a 25-21 score. FC won Game 3 over the Cards 15-10. Two days ;later FC went 1-2 in their own quad meet against tough competition. Fall Creek lost to Barron 25-16. 25-13 and Eau Claire Regis 25-13, 25-18 before beating Altoona 25-16, 25-18. Fall Creek plays in the Sparta Invitational this Saturday, Sept. 13.

Regis will be favored in the Western Cloverbelt again along with Chippewa Falls McDonell, the defending co-champ. Elk Mound joins this fall and also has a solid squad.

"The Western Cloverbelt has been a historically strong and competitive conference and this year that trend will be accurate once again," Prissel said. "McDonell and Regis look to compete for the top of the conference. Bloomer and Stanley-Boyd will be solid teams as well. Our expectations for this season with a more new and varsity inexperienced team is to keep building, learning, and growing throughout the season. We have some girls who haven't played at this level and it will take some time to adjust to the speed of the game at the Varsity. As long as we stay positive, stay together, and stay hungry we will keep working hard and keep noticing improvement. Our plan is to try to get a little bit better each day and be playing our best volleyball of the season when the post-season arrives."

Augusta returns six letterwinners in seniors: Danica Wolfe & Zoey Guntner; juniors: Maddi Meyer, Kadyn Kirkham, & Brooklyn Krueger and Rilee Bethke while only losing two players to graduation in Parker Waugh & Aubrey Korger. Head coach Alicia Bethke believes Stella Zank, Cecelia Schroeder, & Ellie Halverson will make an impact as newcomers to the squad this season. Zank had over 14 kills against Melrose-Mindoro at AHS on Thursday, Sept. 11 in the Beavers' Dairyland Conference opener that Augusta was edged 3-2. The Beavers won Game 1 25-7 and led 18-13 in Game 2 before the Mustangs rallied to win 25-20. Mel-Min. took Game 3 by a 25-16 score but Augusta won 25-19 in Game 4 to force a Game 5 that the Mustangs won 15-10.

Augusta went 5-17 last season but they have already three matches already this season to be 3-5 overall - sweeping Coulee Christian on Sept. 4 at home 25 - 10, 25 - 10, 25 - 8 and winning twice in the Greenwood quad on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 25-13, 21-25, 15-10 over the host school and 25-27, 25-22, 15-8 over Plainfield Tri-County. Augusta lost to Thorp 14-25, 20-25. After battling hard vs. Melrose-Mindoro, think they can do better in 2025 both overall and in the Dairyland Conference.

"Our team goal is to strengthen our mental toughness by recovering quickly from mistakes. We have started the season out with good energy and communication; proving we have what it takes to compete." Bethke said.

Another Dairyland Conference squad loaded with experienced players is Eleva-Strum. The Cardinals have at eight seniors on the team and nearly all of the 15-girl roster lettered last season in which E-S secured a winning season at 14-11 overall, 5-5 in the DC and made it to the regional finals.

Kulig was a big part of the team's success and Viterbo-bound middle will be again along with fellow seniors Kallie Walz, Gabby Franck, Callan Skoug, Josie Iverson, Ruby Bartholomew, Kora Gunderson, Nora Kostner and Lisabeth, Hernandez-Cuaqueha. Returning underclassmen who will make an impact at sophomore Brenley Bauer and juniors Avery Spanberg, Mariah Steffenson, Dahlia Lonetree-Rindahl, Avaya Zweifelhofer and Maddea Brown.

The Cardinals are 6-3 overall after winning their Dairyland Conference opener Thursday, Sept. 11 at Independence/Gilmanton 3-0. They went 2-1 in their own quadrangular last week Tuesday, Sept. 2, losing 2-1 to Fall Creek, sweeping Mondovi 2-0 and beating Durand-Arkansaw 25-14, 13-25, 15-12. Spangberg, Steffenson and Bartholomew all had four aces on the night while Kulig and junior Josephine Iverson tallied 13 kills and nine kills, respectively. Bartholomew led the team in digs with 16 and Steffenson had 25 assists.

The Cards also went 2-2 in the Loyal Invitational last weekend, Sept. 6. They beat Pittsville and the host Greyhounds 2-0 while losing to the Eau Claire Memorial JVs 2-1 and Wrightstown 2-0.

Osseo-Fairchild has that blend of experience and inexperience on their team as well with the hope it can blend together eventually to produce a much better outcome than last season where the Thunder won just one match. O-F still has a young squad with just two seniors on it in Makaela Kiesow and Abbey Newbern-Tobert. Other returning letterwinners include juniors Sara Giacomino, Jasmine Curry, Brylie Johnson and Addie Swanson along with sophomores Madisyn Lafky, Julia Whelan,. Kierra Seig and Jianna Scheffer.

The Thunder, 0-2 overall, have shown flashes of improved play, leading for much of Game 2 against Cadott before losing 25-22 and losing the other two games as well 25-7 and 25-9 in their home and season opener. They extended defending DC champ Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran to extra points in Game 3 on Thursday, Sept. 11 at OFHS. They lost 28-26 and were able to score 17 and 19 points in Games 1 and 2 vs. a Lancer squad that has won 40 league matches in a row and will be favored to win the league title once again.