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Nine Northwest College volleyball players will return on the roster this fall, with coach Scott Keister hopeful that growth in the spring will lead to strong second year campaigns.
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Nine Northwest College volleyball players will return on the roster this fall, with coach Scott Keister hopeful that growth in the spring will lead to strong second year campaigns.
“You’re going to see a theme with this group. It was a big freshman class and now they’re all sophomores and it kind of clicked with them,” Keister said. “It’s hard for a fall sport athlete because it all hits them at once … Us and soccer it’s like drinking from the fire hose.”
One player who will be hoping for a strong return to the court will be outside hitter Brooke Larsen from Sheridan, who played minimally for the Trappers last season before a season ending knee injury in her sixth game of the year.
“We’re excited about Brooke. We were excited last year but then she tore her ACL,” Keister said. “Being forced into a role to see the game from a coach’s perspective has really improved her IQ. She learned a ton about the game I don’t think she would have learned had she been playing. She was diligent in her rehab, she came back healthy and stronger than she was before she tore it.”
She recorded 48 kills in those six games prior to the injury.
Another Trapper returner is Kennedy Oman from Plain City, Utah, who served as part of the middle blocking rotation last season.
“We expect her to be there (fighting for a spot),” Keister said.
She recorded 131 kills and 86 blocks in 26 games during her freshman year.
Another returner from Utah will be Burkelle Field, out of Ogden, as an outside hitter.
“We might move her to the middle, she would like to go to the middle,” Keister said. “We will see where she’s at when she comes back in the fall and see where she ends up. We’re going to give her a pretty fair shot in the middle.”
She had 117 kills and 54 blocks in 31 matches played last season.
One of the kills leaders for the Trappers last year will be back on the court, as Taylor Wilson returns to Powell from Rockland, Idaho.
“The last two weeks of the season it clicked for her and you saw the light bulb go on in her head,” Keister said. “She’s a very analytical thinker and it clicked for her in that form … She’s been working hard all summer and is pumped to get back. I would expect her to be on the outside, we’re going to have a dogfight for that position.”
She had 220 kills in 31 matches, also adding 54 blocks.
Defensively the Trappers will return DanniKa Barfuss, as the player turned manager from Bancroft, Idaho will compete again.
“After last fall we had never talked to her about it (returning), and I asked her ‘what about coming back another year’ then her eyes got wide and she said ‘can I do that?’,” Keister said. “She had a little struggle in the fall but in the spring it started clicking for her. She went from not competing for a spot to now she’s going to compete for a spot. She will be in that fight for the libero.”
She recorded 48 digs and five service aces for the Trappers last season.
One of the most dynamic Trappers from a year ago returns to the team, with Sierra Kilts returning from Kaycee to Powell.
She served in several positions including setter, outside hitter, defensive specialist and libero. Kilts constantly moved around with Keister hopeful they will find her a position early and have her stick in it.
“She played every position but middle so I joked with her that we were going to play her middle the first game,” Keister said. “The plan was for her to be a setter … I’m hoping this year to find her role early and keep her in it. It was hard for her last year to bounce around and not really get a rhythm anywhere.”
She had 129 kills, 165 digs and 30 blocks in 31 matches last year.
Another returner from Utah is Alexis Grgich from Stansbury Park, who is an outside hitter for Northwest.
“She had a pretty good spring so as long as she did what she was supposed to do over the summer with the workouts and staying up on it she’ll compete for a spot on the right side,” Keister said. “She’s a good example of a kid that grew mentally … Towards the end of the first semester she figured herself out and it led to a good spring and summer.”
She had 23 kills and eight blocks last season.
Tilli Danczyk will be the lone returner from Montana, making the trip to Powell from Stevensville for her second season as a middle blocker.
“Her brain got in the way of her greatness,” Keister said. “We’ve been working with Ty Barrus, he’s been our sports psychologist. He works with us once a week as a team even through the summer … The first two to three weeks (last year) she was a rockstar and nobody was going to touch her in this region. Then school hit, homesickness hit, competition hit and playing time hit and it was all these stresses that hit. We got her the help she needed and I think she’s going to come in ready to go.”
She recorded 85 kills and 44 blocks in 27 matches.
The final returner for Northwest will be Jordynel Anderson from Riverton, who will return as a middle blocker for the Trappers.
“She’s just a beast. We’ll have her back in the middle I’m sure competing for a spot,” Keister said. “We’re trying to get her to be able to control the ball more with her power … I expect her to be a main contributor on the court.”
She had 89 kills and 46 blocks in 26 matches.
Northwest went 9-22 last season and will be looking for improvement as the returners are expected to mesh with the incoming freshmen starting next week.
