Lady Tigers reload volleyball roster
Lady Tigers volleyball players work on their skills during a recent practice in St. Regis. They open their season September 3 with a home game versus Two Eagle River. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
By St. Regis' standards, last year would be considered an off year, even a rebuilding year as the young squad struggled with consistency.
Help appears to have arrived for the Lady Tigers in the form of added experience, a solid group of players back for another year, and a large, promising group of freshmen on the way up.
“We are hoping to be a very well-rounded team this season,” said head coach Kianna Barnett. “We are putting a lot of focus on getting passes to the target and will hopefully help our hitters show what they can do.”
The Lady Tigers finished the season 4-10-2, while going 2-2 in the final four games of the 2023 campaign.
An added challenge this year will be the new conference alignment in which the 14C West and 13C west have merged into a larger 13C conference.
With this year’s combination of the 14C (of which St. Regis was a member) and the 13C, I think we are going to come across many challenging teams,” Barnett said, as she presided over a group of more than 20 players out for this season. “With our returning players, and the knowledge from our new assistant coach, Brian Grosenbaugh, I think we are going to be very successful.”
Among those returning for another season are junior setters, Jamie Kearby and Shelby Simkins, middles Avery Burnham (senior) and Lilly Sansom, (junior); senior libero Shylah Dalka, and senior defensive specialist Kierstan Trayor.
Those players will fill some graduation vacancies by captain and outside hitter Brooke Filek, middle outside hitter Amelya Jensen, and setter Justice Belstad, who moved from the area.
Another area the team is working to improve upon is movement and communication on the court.
“We have struggled with movement and communication in the past years,” Barnett said. “I am hoping that working on these two areas will add to us being successful.”
St. Regis opens the 2024 season with a home match Sept. 3 versus Two Eagle River.
If spirited practices are an indication, the Lady Tigers could be a tough team to face this year.