RIB LAKE VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW - Last run for seniors starts with high volleyball hopes

It’s been a gradual build over the last three years for Rib Lake’s senior girls student-athletes. Several started out as overmatched freshmen and have put in the work to get where they are today, ready to go out with a bang in potentially three sports.

The first of those sports is volleyball, where the Redmen aim to break through in both the Marawood North and in WIAA tournament. In the post-season, the last two seasons have ended in regional final matches.

The Redmen went 24-14 overall last fall, the program’s best record since a 2610 season in 2017. With seven returning seniors and two impactful sophomores also back, the potential for a big year is clearly there.

“We’re trying to keep the expectations high and hopes high, but we’re still making sure that we work hard every day,” fifth-year head coach Heather Weik said Friday. “This is a year of making sure our mindset is there. If our mindset is on, we can do anything. We know we have some weapons.”

“We made it to regional finals,” said Avery Niemi, one of those returning seniors. “We know how it feels. We’ve won regional finals (in basketball and softball). So now getting past regional finals in volleyball would be big.”

“It’s our last run as a group, our last time playing together, which is kind of crazy after eight, 10 years playing together,” senior co-captain Madilyn Blomberg said.

“We have to try to make it worth it,” said Tessa Weik, another of the team’s cocaptains.

The season got off to a good start Tuesday with Rib Lake winning the Loyal Quad. The Marathon Invitational should provide some solid tests, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday. From there, Rib Lake has two quads next week, one in Owen-Withee on Tuesday and another in Auburndale on Sept. 4.

The first Marawood North match could be a pivotal one as the Redmen host rival Prentice on Sept. 9.

While the faces are, for the most part, the same, there are some tweaks to Rib Lake’s plan of attack in 2025. The main one is Blomberg switching to a setting role to help account for the graduation loss of Addison Gumz. Joining Blomberg, Weik and Niemi from the senior class are All-Marawood libero and co-captain Tahlia Scheithauer, Camryn and Coralee Glenzer and Hailey Planasch. Megan Komarek and Madelyn Anderson are the returning sophomores and freshman Mya Schreiner will work with the varsity while getting most of her match experience at the JV level.

The Redmen feel their strengths are plentiful.

“I think where we’re really well-versed is that we have six girls on the court who can hit the ball,” Tessa Weik said. “It’s not like we’re relying on one or two people. We have six girls who can hit the ball and a defense to back that up. We all just mesh really well together. We talk well and communicate.”

“Everyone has a strength that they bring to our team,” Blomberg said.

“Everyone is the best at something on our team. Everyone is coming together and bringing those skills together.”

An underrated strength could be the chemistry of this team that, for the most part, has been playing together since grade school. Heather Weik said, though it’s not always advisable in a communication sport, the non-verbal communication between the girls amazes her sometimes.

“There are times where I’m like, ‘are we talking out there?’” she said. “But everything is going fine and we’re playing really well. I just get frustrated that I can’t hear them.”

Tessa Weik led Rib Lake a year ago with 306 kills in 96 sets played, however, Blomberg (154), Komarek (136), Coralee Glenzer (129) and Cora Glenzer (102) all had more than 100 and the Redmen expect the 6-2 Anderson will take a big jump from the 80 kills she recorded. Komarek (39) and Anderson (24) led Rib Lake in total blocks with Anderson playing in just 65 sets.

The seniors said the emergence of Komarek and Anderson as freshmen last year was certainly a jolt their group needed.

“They’re definitely getting faster,” Tessa Weik said. “They’re definitely blending in with our group. They’re hitting the ball, blocking, they move well. And they’re tall, so that helps.”

“They know the game of volleyball and that helps too,” Niemi said.

“Madelyn is so coachable,” Heather Weik said. “She moves to the block really quickly, anticipates really well and obviously she has great height for hitting at 6-2 and getting on top of the ball. She’ll have those wow hits. Megan has made just a huge improvement from last year. She’ll get a lot of points on serving because she’s gained so much more accuracy. That’s true not only in serving but also hitting. She has a strong arm.”

Weik was a first-team All-Marawood North pick and enters her fourth year as a starter. She hit the 1,000-assist milestone for her career last year. Blomberg was a second-team pick and both Glenzers got honorable mention.

“Madi Blomberg is stepping up as our first-time setter,” Heather Weik said. “She has really wanted to do this. It is something that she has worked really hard for and she’s earned that position. She’s risen to the challenge. She has a strong arm swing too. She’ll be a weapon in the front row too.

“Tessa has strength and she is just vital to the offense,” Heather Weik added. “She gets those pivotal points when we need them, she’ll put it down on the floor. Camryn Glenzer, in the back row has made big improvements and showed great growth. I’ve seen so much confidence come out of her and more leadership. I’m really excited for that. She’s going to have a lot of touches. She’s going to be a middle and hitting in the front row. Cora Glenzer will be in our front row, but she’s a great server as well. She’s a four-year returning starter. She’s going to play outside and right. On the right side, she’ll give us great hands if we need them for setting.”

Niemi, Scheithauer and Planasch will provide Rib Lake with defensive strength.

It starts with Scheithauer, who surpassed the 1,000-dig mark for her career last year.

“It’s just hustle, trying to get to every ball,” Scheithauer said. “I started at libero in eighth grade. I was a setter before that It was during Storm (club) season I started learning that position, then freshman year and throughout I’ve just been there.”

“Tahlia is just a player that needs to be on the court all the time,” Heather Weik said. “Avery is super versatile and willing to take on any position, but she’s going to have that emphasis on being a defensive specialist. Being Player of the Year (in softball) as a catcher, the middle back is perfect for her because she can see the whole court. She reads it and she is good at looking at the other team’s offense. She’s a strong communicator and does great at reading the other team.

Hailey Planasch is also going to be in the back row. She’s coming on as a strong back row player. Great speed and aggressiveness. She’s versatile but she’ll mostly focus on specializing defensively.”

Serving was a strength for Rib Lake last year. The Redmen finished at 91% overall for the season. They just hope to better their ace rate of 13.3%. The Redmen improved in keeping their offensive attacks in play and had a solid kill percentage of 28.3%, which they think can get better.

Blocking is an area where coach Weik said the Redmen will have to improve to take the next steps.

“Blocking is a major emphasis this year,” she said. “I want to turn our defense into offense this year as much as we possibly can and I think we can do that. Defense is one area where we definitely need to continue to work on every day with the mindset of nothing hits the floor. We have to have that scrappiness, and not just from Tahlia, and I’ve already seen that this summer quite a bit.” Rib Lake has some offseason momentum coming into the year. The Redmen won the Marathon Summer League’s tournament. They were 3-2 in the Marawood North last year with one of the wins coming against cochampion Abbotsford. The Redmen also beat Abbotsford in a WIAA Division 4 regional semifinal before losing 3-1 at Wabeno-Laona in the regional final. Rib Lake drops to Division 5 this season and into a sectional bracket that, on paper, looks like one they are more than capable to make a run in. But there is a lot of volleyball to be played before then, and the Redmen’s goal is focus on each day and match as it comes.

“We want a few plaques,” Tessa Weik said. “We really want that and we’re working hard to get there. But we have to take it one game at a time. Win tonight.”