Experience paying off for Auburndale volleyball

MARSHFIELD – A large senior class is leading the Auburndale High School volleyball program this season.

Nine of the 12 players on this year’s varsity roster are seniors.

“We have a lot of experience,” Head Coach Kate Schmutzer recently told Hub City Times. “We have several players who can contribute in different roles, which gives us flexibility.”

“When we play with confidence and energy, we can be a very competitive team,” added Schmutzer, now in her sixth season as the Eagles’ head coach. “We're becoming more aggressive offensively and working toward a quicker offense. One of the things I've been happiest with lately is seeing things we work on in practice actually transfer into matches.”

The Eagles are led by three senior captains, setter Chesney Nagel, middle hitter Alana Steines and serving specialist Brenna Theil.

“She runs our offense, understands our hitters well and brings a lot of experience and composure to the court,” Schmutzer said of Nagel.

As for Steines, “[She] gives us a strong presence at the net. Her blocking, serving and energy can really change momentum for us,” Schmutzer told us.

"Brenna has carved out a role for us as a serving specialist,” Schmutzer added. “When we put her in, we're counting on her to come in cold, serve aggressively and do her job, and that takes a certain mentality. She's also been a positive teammate and understands how important those specialized roles are."

Another key senior is Lanie Richardson, Auburndale’s libero.

“A big part of our serve receive and defense,” Schmutzer told us. “She gets targeted a lot and has really worked on staying steady and competing through long matches.”

Schmutzer describes senior Lily Bellanti as “one of our biggest offensive weapons. We rely on her to terminate balls, and we've been working with her on expanding her attacking range so she's difficult to defend. She missed all last year and watching her play, you can’t tell that.”

Senior Myah Katzenberger is an outside hitter for the Eagles this season.

“Myah has probably had one of the biggest role changes on our team,” Schmutzer shared. “She has played right side and middle, and this year we depend on her as an outside hitter. She's embraced that responsibility and gives us an important offensive presence on the left side.”

On defense is where seniors Jalynn Scherr and Alexis Goddard shine.

“Jalynn is just a beast defensively,” says Schmutzer. “Some of the balls she gets a touch on are amazing and she's honestly fun to watch back there. She plays with a lot of determination and gives us a defensive spark.

“Alexis started the season in more of a serving-specialist role, but she has earned a bigger role and has been promoted to DS (defensive specialist). Her defense and consistency have continued to improve, and it's been really rewarding to see her work translate into more opportunities on the court.”

Senior Kendall Novotny is a front-row utility player.

“As a senior, she gives us versatility in the front row,” Schmutzer told us. “She's someone we can use in different situations and positions, and she has embraced whatever role we've needed from her.”

Two sophomores, Aubrey Richardson and Abi Schmidt, are also making their marks this year.

“A sophomore who has taken on a much bigger role this year,” Schmutzer said of Schmidt. “She's continuing to grow offensively and has made nice strides as a blocker.”

Coach Schmutzer describes Aubrey as “a younger player who gives us depth defensively and continues to develop.”

The lone freshman on the squad this season is Madi Grube, who plays along the right side.

“Important to what we're trying to do both offensively and with our block,” Schmutzer shared. “She's coachable, athletic and has a lot of room to grow.”

As for the team as a whole, Schmutzer says “consistency in serve receive has probably been our biggest focus. We’re working on maintaining our energy, communication and confidence throughout an entire match, not just when things are going well.

“Offensively, we're continuing to work on hitter timing, transition and giving our hitters more attacking options,” she adds. “We want to become a team that responds well when momentum changes instead of letting one tough stretch turn into several points.

“With nine seniors, we've also talked a lot about leadership and making sure everyone understands how they can positively impact the team, whether they're on the court or on the bench.

“I think what I'm most excited about is that we're still getting better,” Schmutzer continued. “We've had some ups and downs, but this group has shown that when we're connected, communicating and playing for each other, we can play really good volleyball. We're trying to make sure we're playing our best volleyball at the end of the season.”

Before taking over the varsity program, Schmutzer coached JV2 for six years and spent about four years coaching at the youth level prior to that. She was also the CWVC club director and coached club for three years.

Her varsity assistant is Amy Krings.

“Amy has been with me since I took over the varsity program six years ago,” Schmutzer told us. “She’s filled a variety of roles during that time, coaching JV, JV2 and now serving as my varsity assistant. She knows our program, knows our expectations and knows me as a coach, so there’s a lot of trust there. She’s been a really important part of the consistency we’ve been able to build within the program.”

Jo Ertl is the JV2 coach.
“Jo actually played for me and was a great outside hitter, so it’s really exciting to have her back in the gym now as a coach,” Schmutzer shared. “She brings such great energy and a positive attitude, and I think that’s especially valuable with our younger athletes. It’s also pretty special when former players want to come back and be part of the program in a different role.”

Another former player, Georgi Ellenbecker, is serving as Auburndale’s JV volleyball coach.
“Georgi played setter for me during my first year as the varsity coach, and she brings exceptional setter knowledge and experience to our program,” said Schmutzer. “She came back the following year to coach and has now been with me for five years, first with JV2 and for the past two years as our JV coach. She understands what we're trying to teach throughout the program and is a tremendous resource, especially when it comes to our setters.

“One of the things I’m really proud of is the continuity we have,” Schmutzer added. “Amy has been beside me throughout my six years as varsity coach, and both Jo and Georgi are former players who have come back to coach. They all bring something different, but they understand our program and care about these kids. I think that makes our entire program stronger.”