School: Marshfield High School
Sport: Girls varsity volleyball
Head coach: Josh Knecht
Question: What is the overall expectation for the team this season, and what is the team’s primary goal?
Answer: We graduated eight very talented players from last year’s conference and regional championships team so the turnover with this team is very daunting.
Our primary goal is always to compete for the Wisconsin Valley Conference Championship. Currently, we have won five straight championships, so the goal is to keep the streak going. SPASH returns a solid group of players, and they are probably the preseason pick to win the conference. As a group we will try to improve this squad with some very difficult early season tournaments to give these younger players some high-level experience so that we can contend for the conference championship later in the season.
Q: Which returning players will be key leaders for the team, and what makes them stand out?
A: We only had 10 players on last year’s team, and we lost eight of them; however, the two that we returned are both 2nd Team All-Conference players in Della Smith and Sophia Olson. Both players have played on National Club Volleyball Teams, so their experience in facing some of the top players in the nation has really helped them in developing their games.
The first thing you notice about them is their physicality. Sophia at 6-foot, 1-inch is probably the strongest player in our program; she can dominate the net with her attacking and blocking.
Della excites the crowds in our gym with her hitting velocity, but it’s her court awareness that allows her to make plays defensively one would not expect her to make. Both players will be leaned upon for their leadership in helping the new players.
Q: Are there any newcomers or underclassmen who have impressed you in the offseason and could make a significant impact?
A: We have three additional seniors who were primarily junior varsity players last year, but all three have a wealth of club volleyball experience to draw upon. Lani Elmhorst has really taken a great jump from last year. This summer I have been impressed with her court vision and ability to add a number of different types of attacks to kill the ball. Gabby Niehaus and Calyn Ziembo both are vying for the position of libero or as a defensive specialist.
Replacing our standout All-Conference setter from last year, Kailyn Kurth, will be two underclassmen in junior Paige Schlagenhaft and sophomore Natalie De Lany. Each of these setters have different strengths, but both are very athletic. It is possible that we might have both set this year in moving to a 6-2 offense.
Junior Abby Cera has had a heck of summer hitting the volleyball. I look forward to having two hard hitting left outsides in Abby and Della. Competing for the other middle hitter position, opposite Sophia, will be junior Lily Adler. She has really improved her blocking and with her athleticism, I hope that she will continue to improve throughout the season. Junior Maria Biederwolf has been our Swiss-Army knife. She has literally played just about every position this summer. This versatility in her game will really help us if injuries pop up. Lastly, sophomore Angela Barnhardt and junior Avery Kelnhofer have played some with our team and have the chance to make contributions.
Q: What do you consider to be the team's greatest strength this year?
A: Most teams in this area probably do not have the ability to attack from all positions on the court like we can. If we do decide to move to a 6-2 offense this year, there will not be a rotation that we won’t have the ability to terminate the ball from any hitting position. The question will be if we have enough in serve reception and defense so that we can make the quality of sets necessary for these hitters. If we do, this could be another very competitive Marshfield team.
Q: Looking at your schedule, what are you most anticipating and why?
A: As always, the first practice is something I always look forward to. The energy of the players and the atmosphere in the gym is the reason we as coaches put in all this time. Our first contest is the Big Rivers / Wisconsin Valley Cross Over. This 9-team contest allows us to face competition from the other conference that makes up the majority of our regional. The Big Rivers Conference really has had the Wisconsin Valley’s number in tournament play in the past so it is always a great opportunity to see how your team will compete.
We added a few new tournaments in the 2-Day Beast of the Northeast Tournament in Appleton and another tourney in Kettle Moraine. Both contests will really improve our strength of schedule for seeding purposes later in the year.
Q: What message would you like to share with the community and fans as they prepare to support the team this season?
A: This is potentially the last year that we will play on our volleyball court in the Fieldhouse as it undergoes construction changes next summer. Having the fans, especially student section, close to the court creates an environment that is exciting and is something I know all the players are looking forward to in 2025.
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