Raiders adjust to game speed while breaking in newcomers
MEDFORD VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW
For the second time in three seasons, the Medford Raiders find their volleyball program in a complete rebuild mode at the varsity level after the graduation of a large senior class.
The 2020 team transformed from a nervous, shaky squad at the start to a team that one could have argued might have been the second-best in the Great Northern Conference at the end of that shortened fall season.
That kind of result is not out of reach this year, according to the program’s sixth-year head coach Cheryl Schreiner and her most experienced seniors Martha Miller and Allie Paulson.
“It’s a work in progress,” Schreiner said as the team practiced Monday afternoon at Raider Hall. “Obviously we lost a big class of seniors last year. Martha and Allie having the varsity experience they have, they’re being great leaders, encouraging the younger girls. We’re basically an entirely new mix than we have been for the last two years. There is some really good young talent out there. It’s just about learning the speed of the game. Going from JV to varsity is huge.”
“I’m pretty excited for this year,” said Miller, a three-year letter winner in the program. “We have a pretty new team. We’re not a young team, but we’re a new team at this level. So it’s kind of exciting to see how we’ll work together this year.
“We’re making new friends, new teammates on the court,” Paulson said.
The Raiders tipped off the 2022 season by going 3-2 Tuesday at a tournament in Three Lakes. They’ll surely get tested this weekend with seven matches at UWStout’s Menomonie Sprawl before jumping into GNC play Sept. 1 at Lakeland.
Eleven seniors moved on from the 2021 squad that finished 8-4 in the GNC, good for third place, and 17-16 overall. The Raiders won their first WIAA Division 2 tournament match since 2017 before bowing out at GNC power Mosinee in the regional semifinals.
As part of the natural process of high school sports, it’s time for the new group to move in and make their mark.
Schreiner is starting the year with a core group of eight varsity players with three more vying for time as varsity/ JV floaters.
While Miller begins her fourth varsity season, Paulson is in her third and senior DeLana Radlinger is also back as a letter winner after seeing some spot duty last year in the back row. Delaney Hraby and Anna Wanke round out the senior class. Juniors Cameron Rau and Rachel Wesle will step into some large roles and sophomore Megan Schaefer is stepping into a setting role. Junior Emily-Grace Rudolph and sophomores Toryn Rau and Shayla Radlinger are the floaters.
With the inexperience, Schreiner said the first week of practice was basically dedicated to “going back to basics” with the fundamentals. The first week is also challenging because much of that time for the coaching staff is spent trying to determine which team the nearly 50 girls out for the sport should be placed.
The Raiders got their first live action Saturday in 30-minute scrimmage sessions at D.C. Everest against the host Evergreens, Newman Catholic and Mosinee. That time was so valuable to start going over the game situations that couldn’t be duplicated in practice in the first week.
“Every moment on the court, especially in a situation like that, is a teaching moment,” Schreiner said. “You have the opportunity to stop the play and explain why this needs to happen versus what just happened. It’s a good experience for the kids. It gets them going.”
“We learned we have to get faster,” Miller said. “Varsity is kind of a different level. It’s pretty quick.”
“Yes, we definitely have to get faster,” Paulson agreed. “We saw we have to get our blocks down.”
In the front row, Miller returns as Medford’s most potent offensive weapon from the left side, while Paulson has done a lot of setting and swinging from the right side in her two varsity seasons. In GNC play, Miller ranked second in the league in digs per set with 4.6 and 10th in hitting percentage at .193 with 67 kills and 26 errors in 212 attacks. Paulson had 123 assists in 45 sets played and had a .953 serve percentage in league play (85 of 89) with 12 aces.
Rau could swing from both sides. Hraby and Wesle are the team’s primary middles. Wesle is moving to that spot after setting with last year’s JV team. Defensively, DeLana Radlinger is settling into the left back spot while Anna Wanke, who’s made her way back after an achilles injury suffered in gymnastics last December, fills the middle back spot to start the fall, and Schaefer will set.
“Megan Schaefer is doing a really nice job as a sophomore,” Schreiner said. “Setter is not an easy position to step in to when you’re young. I’m hoping if we can shore up our passing that will help her situation so she’s not scrambling and not quite sure what to do with the ball. It’s building blocks. You have to build from that base and it all starts with that first pass. We had a lot of serve receive trouble on Saturday. I didn’t think we would have that much, but we did. But that always seems to get better throughout the year. We work on it every day in practice.”
Rudolph adds more defensive depth, while Toryn Rau and Shayla Radlinger add depth on the outside.
“We have two tournaments this week,” Schreiner said. “It’s a lot of playing for the girls, which is what we need just for me to find a good mix out there, find the chemistry with the team and for them to start get used to playing with each other. I’m excited. Every year is a new beginning.”
“I think one of the things we’re building now is communication and learning to play with this new team,” Paulson said.
“Volleyball is a sport of communication,” Miller said. “You have to know where people are where you need to cover. That’s one thing we have to build this year is trusting each other, behind each other, around each other and communicating to know where people are on the court.”
One thing the seniors said they want to bring to the team in their leadership roles is a positive outlook, which will be necessary as it will likely take some time for this team to find its full potential.
“Volleyball is a sport of mistakes,” Miller said. “Everyone is going to make a mistake at times, but I think this team is doing a good job of encouraging each other and not letting each other fall into holes, which is sometimes just as important as being able to hit the ball super hard. It’s definitely a mental game. We have to work to grow, as long as we don’t hang our heads early.”
From Schreiner’s perspective, that growth will be the most fun thing to watch. With a team this experienced, it will be noticeable throughout the season.
“I told the girls Saturday, it’s not how we start the season it’s how we end the season,” she said. “I think if we continue to work hard, and I know this group will, I think we are in contention to be one of the top teams in the conference like we have been in the past.”
As far as the Great Northern Conference goes, the route to a championship goes through Mosinee, who has won five straight titles and 55 straight GNC matches. The Indians did lose three firstteam All-GNC performers, including 2021 Player of the Year Claire Selenske and front row towers Abbi Martin and Jenna Placek. Schreiner feels Tomahawk could be a team to watch. After that, it’s going to be a scramble.
“I think we’ll be able to compete well,” Miller said. “We’re not like a powerhouse team yet in the conference, but I think if we continue to learn and grow with each other we could get to that point.”
