Several new faces will have the chance to make an impact for the McDonell volleyball team this season.
Following the graduation of a strong seven-player senior class that led the Macks to the Division 3 sectional finals a season ago, the team returns only a few players with varsity experience.
Here's three things to watch as the Macks open the season this week:
'They have come in ready to work and have put in high effort'
A pair of sophom*ores carry the lion's share of the returning experience for McDonell and 14th-year head coach Kat Hanson.
Claire Ruf and Anne Siegenthaler worked into a veteran lineup a season ago when the Macks repeated as Western Cloverbelt champions before falling to eventual Division 3 state champion St. Croix Falls and will lead the way at the net. Ruf had 133 kills, 102 and 15 blocks while Siegenthaler added 93 kills, 40 blocks and 40 digs as two tall and athletic options.
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“They have come in ready to work and have put in high effort," Hanson said of the team overall. "There is a quick learning curve with this group. We have a lot of turnover from last year but they’ve come ready and willing to work had from day one.”
The rest of the contributors are all new to full-time varsity action but many have already made an impact on other McDonell teams.
Chloe Flanagan, Zoie Geissler, Keagan Winger and Kiara Leinenkugel will also play a role as defensive specialists with Emily Hartman, Kendall Hepfler, Payton Hepfler and Eva VanDenHeuvel joining Ruf and Siegenthaler in working near the net. Erin Siegenthaler will be stepping into the setter position this year as the team makes the move to a 5-1 offense after using two setters in recent years.
'The rest of the group is very athletic. They just are inexperienced'
The team's athleticism is a cornerstone early.
The early week of the season will be crucial in building chemistry on the court as the Macks play a busy schedule that begins this Friday and Saturday at the Menomonie Sprawl hosted at UW-Stout.
“The rest of the group is very athletic. We just are inexperienced," Hanson said. "So we will learn and we will improve each day we are in the gym and they’re putting forth their best effort right now and it looks good. We have to learn like everybody else in the state but we’re working hard to make improvements already.”
With so many new faces on every facet of the team, McDonell will face a sharp learning curve in building the chemistry the recently graduated players had on the way to deep playoff pushes including Division 4 state titles in 2021 and 2022.
“Physically we are looking at getting better every day, picking one thing and getting really good at that and moving onto a new thing so that we can be disciplined in our movements and that’ll help our athleticism work in our favor," Hanson said.
'It's literally to get one percent better'
This weekend's sprawl will be a good chance for the Macks to see a variety of opponents.
McDonell's first home event is a quad on Sept. 5 versus Amery, Chetek-Weyerhaeuser and Spooner with the Macks opening Western Cloverbelt play at home against Stanley-Boyd on Sept. 17. The program hosts the Debbie Roesler Memorial Tournament on Sept. 14 and the Diocesan Tournament on Sept. 21.
The Macks have won at least a share of the last two Western Cloverbelt titles and are not the only team in the league facing significant roster turnover. It's also a transition year for the conference as Osseo-Fairchild moves on to the Dairyland with Elk Mound slated to join the WCC in 2025.
McDonell will have plenty of time to sharpen its skills and chemistry throughout a busy fall as the Macks aim to once again be at their best come playoff time.
“It’s literally to get one percent better," Hanson said of the team's expectations. "It’s so cliché but that’s what our focus is, get one percent better every day and put our head down and work each day and when we look up in November we’re hoping to have a chance to compete at a high level.”
Schedule
August—30-31: at Menomonie (UW-Stout).
September—5: McDonell quad; 7: at Elmwood; 12: Altoona; 14: Roesler Memorial; 17: Stanley-Boyd; 21: Diocesan; 24: at Bloomer; 26: Thorp.
October—3: at Cadott; 5: at Bloomer; 8: Fall Creek; 10: at Eau Claire Regis; 12: at Altoona; 15 or 17: Cloverbelt Crossover.
IN PHOTOS: Menomonie Volleyball Sprawl 8-30-24
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