After tying for the Upper Iowa Conference title last season, the Turkey Valley volleyball team is looking to remain at the top of its game and make some noise in the postseason in 2023.
Pushing the girls to accomplish their goals are head coach Shelbie Balk who is in her second season with the Trojans. At her side is assistant Ashley Walz.
Big goals
The Trojans of 2022 relied on five letter winners and a big senior class to push for a top spot in the league.
Utilizing the athletes, the Trojans finished 7-1 in the Upper Iowa Conference, tying for first with Clayton Ridge.
While there was a high of the UIC success, Turkey Valley struggled at tournaments throughout the season. When it came time for the postseason, the Trojans lost a heartbreaker 3-1 by sets of 25-23, 24-26, 11-25 and 23-25.
Turkey Valley ended the year 17-16 overall.
As a team, the Trojans served 1,418-for-1,569 for a 90.4 serve efficiency. They also had 194 aces. They produced 655 kills on 2,404 attack attempts, with 591 assists, 1,600 digs and 177 total blocks (49 solo, 128 assists).
Big class gone
The Trojans graduated seven players off last year’s squad, including first team All-UIC Brianna Busta who was second on the team in kills with 127, 54 total blocks (16 solo, 38 assists), 100 digs and served 238-for-271 with 32 aces.
Also gone are All-UIC honorable mention selections Olivia Snyder and Clare Courtney. Snyder, who was an outside hitter, provided 82 kills and 11 total blocks during her senior campaign and was 91-for-102 at the service line. As a defensive specialist, Courtney finished the season with 221 digs and was 130-for-152 in serving with 13 aces. Right-side hitter, Jacqlyn Schmitt also graduated, having garnered 72 kills.
Other graduates included Alison Leibold, Sierra Morris and Abigail Schmitt.
Strong players
“We have a strong foundation that we built last year,” said Coach Balk. “We all have the same goal and are determined to achieve it. Our team has persistence which has made us more prepared for the start of the season. Frustration and doubt can be any team’s concern and tension can mount when a team lacks a resource to be effective.”
The Trojans have seven letter winners back. Leading the way are seniors Adriana Tiedt, Halle Weber, Mariah Throndson and Ryann Schmitt.
Tiedt, an outside hitter, led the team in kills with 175. She also had 266 digs and served 155-for-182 with 26 aces to earn first team All-UIC honors as a junior. Libero H. Weber came up with a team-high 423 digs as a junior and was a second-team All-UIC honoree. She also went 305-for-319 in serves with 37 aces. Throndson put her time in as a setter on the court last season and provided 160 assists and served 169-for-188 with 19 aces. Schmitt had eight kills, four digs and served 5-for-6.
Juniors back with a letter are Kinsey Reicks and Morgan Vsetecka, along with sophomore Maici Weber. Playing a middle hitter position, Reicks powered down 70 kills and had 39 total blocks (15 solo, 24 assists) and came up with 53 digs. Vsetecka garnered 34 digs during her sophomore season and was 14-for-18 at the service line. M. Weber will once again be on the court as one of the Trojans’ setters and a right side hitter. As a freshman she dished out 348 assists and hammered down 74 kills, while coming up with 189 digs and serving 251-for-275 with 43 aces.
Rounding out the roster are juniors Layni Schuchhardt (RS), Delaney Busta (MH/RS), Alexis Elsbernd (DS); and sophomores Addison Steinlage (S), Annika Bodensteiner (MH/OH) and Karstyn Lukes (MH).
From Balk’s view
“We are a team that will travel the tough road and want nothing more than to play the game we love and have fun. Learning patience and knowing how to play smart to be effective is important. We know that no team is perfect and it is going to take constant hard work for our defense and offense to be solid,” noted Coach Balk. “Sometimes goals must be modified due to the limitations the team is working under. For example, we aren’t the tallest team, so we can’t get frustrated about something we cannot change. We are excited for a new season to start and can’t wait for the challenges ahead.”
The Trojans opened their season Monday, Aug. 28, at home against MFL MarMac and New Hampton.
Submit A Comment
Fill out the form to submit a comment. All comments require approval by our staff before it is displayed on the website.