Sacred Heart volleyball rolling with freshmen
Sep. 1—EAST GRAND FORKS — The freshmen class for the East Grand Forks Sacred Heart volleyball team won't be slowly adapting to varsity play.
Eagles coach Emily Vonasek says her team is young and old.
That means Sacred Heart is heavy on seniors and freshmen and the Eagles' upperclassmen are going to need to get the young players up to speed quickly for a program that won 14 matches last season.
Sacred Heart is off to a 2-1 start in 2023 and freshmen have led the Eagles in kills and assists in each match so far.
The young group is led by setter Finley Horken, who played extensively last season as an eighth-grader.
"She's just remarkable," Vonasek said. "She's fast and everything you want in a setter."
Among the options Horken is distributing the ball to this season are ninth-graders Lydia Riskey (5-foot-10) and Alexis Lawrence (6-foot).
"The freshmen need to gain some experience," Vonasek said. "They're learning quickly. They're coachable kids. They're extremely hard workers. The freshmen will be our kill leaders and that speaks volume about the work ethic and how well they listen and how they're willing to be aggressive. That's great for our program."
Riskey had 10 kills in a season-opening win over Mahnomen-Waubun, then had eight in a loss to Kittson County Central. She followed that with a season-high 14 kills in a victory over Ada-Borup on Thursday night.
"Lydia is super athletic," Vonasek said. "Once the freshmen get the nerves out, they're going to be fantastic."
Senior Ava Knudson and junior Reese Chwialkowski have also been strong in the middle for the Eagles.
"They're doing a great job mentoring those younger kids, and they're good players, too," Vonasek said.
Coach: Emily Vonasek.
2022 record: 14-9.
Key returners: Fr. S Finley Horken; sr. DS Ella Werner; sr. M Ava Knudson; sr. OH Emma Anvinson.
Top newcomers: Fr. OH Lydia Riskey; fr. RH Alexis Lawrence; jr. M Reese Chwialkowski; sr. OH Rylee Chwialkowski.
Coach Vonasek says: "We have some versatility with our offense this year. We're running one setter, which is new to the girls. We've ran a 6-2 (formation) for the last few years. It's a little different than what they're used to playing. We need to work a little on defense and serve receive."
Coach: Paula Devine.
2022 record: 17-13, lost to Barnesville in section championship.
Key returners: Sr. Alison Kovar; jr. McKaylee Fitzpatrick; jr. Ellie Marcott; jr. Addison Kujawa; sr. Zoe Nelson.
Top newcomers: Sr. Madison Stocker; jr. Emma Marcott; jr. Ella Gerber; jr. Sara Christiansen; jr. Taylor Bergh.
Coach Devine says: "Practices have been going well but we seemed a little nervous (in the season opener). We just had some miscues. It's a new group. Most of the kids weren't on varsity last year, so we have some new faces and new combinations. We've got pretty good passers returns and a good nucleus of front rows."
