Editor’s Note: 605 Sports will unveil team preview capsules on all volleyball classes leading up to the 2023 season openers. The information provided was submitted by coaches in response to an email sent by 605 Sports. 

Sioux Falls Christian will be looking for its seventh consecutive Class A state volleyball championship this season.

The Chargers earned all 14 first-place votes in the preseason South Dakota Prep Media Volleyball Poll. Fellow Dak-XII Conference member Dakota Valley was No. 2 in the preseason rankings. 

Wagner, Elkton-Benton and Elk Point-Jefferson rounded out the top-five teams in the poll. 

Team capsules (listed in alphabetical order): 

Bon Homme

Coach: Paula Bures  

Key returnees: Olivia Bures, 5-9, senior, outside hitter; Erin Heusinkveld, 5-8, senior, middle hitter; Jurni Vavruska, 5-6, senior, setter; Kenadee Kozak, 5-7, junior, middle hitter; Taycee Ranek, 5-8, sophomore, outside hitter.

Top newcomers: Stacy Gilbert, 5-9, senior, RH; Tayge Bormann, 5-10, junior, middle hitter; Kendra Bechtold, 5-6, junior, DS/setter.  

Outlook: The Cavaliers bring back five key players, including senior outside Olivia Bures, who is coming back from an ACL injury. Erin Heusinkveld was an all-conference player and led the team in digs. Taycee Ranek was the team leader in kills, while Jurni Vavruska and Kenadee Kozak were letterwinners for coach Paula Bures. 

“We are excited for the return of Bures on the outside,” coach Bures said. “With two strong outsides and very quick and athletic middle blockers, we look to use our experience this season and be competing in the postseason.”

Canton 

Coach: Atlanta DeJong 

Key returnees: Landree Meister, 5-9, senior, setter; Macy Plucker, 5-9, junior, outside hitter; Jenna Vande Weerd, 6-1, junior, middle hitter; Danica Rozeboom, 5-10, senior, middle hitter; Tessa Tiemann, 5-6, senior, outside hitter/RS.

Top newcomers: Carmyn Peterson, 5-5, junior; Autumn Ask, 5-5, sophomore; Kiara King, 5-7, senior.  

Outlook: The C-Hawks will look to improve on last season’s season and coach Atlanta DeJong expects the team will continue to make strides in 2023. 

“We are very excited to get started this season,” Canton coach Atlanta DeJong said. “We have a lot of returners with some new additions ready to build on what we did last year. It should be a fun and exciting year.”

Clark/Willow Lake

Coach: Bobbi Bohnet  

Key returnees: Emma Nichols, OH/RS; Sara Thonvold, MH; Haylee Tormanen, OH; Shelby Anderson, MH; Shay Michalski, MH; Avery Lee, DS; Tehya Vig, OH/DS; Hannah Heiman, OH/RS; Sami Brenden, S; Zoey Helkenn, DS.

Outlook: The Cyclones return four seniors from last season’s team and coach Bobbi Bohnet likes the versatility of the 2023 squad. 

“There are so many girls that can play so many spots,” Bohnet said. “It makes for a good problem to have, even though it makes my job harder finding just the right lineup. I would expect to see changes to our lineups depending who we are playing.”

Bohnet added, “I am excited about how the girls have come together this summer, the versatility of our team and the excitement they bring to the court every day.”

Dell Rapids 

Coach: Erica Fersdahl 

Key returnees: Kylee Fiddelke, 5-10, senior, outside hitter; Sophi Randall, 5-11, junior, setter; Lauryn Kloth, 6-1, junior, middle hitter; Clara Justice, 5-9, junior, RS; Elin Schoenhard, 5-10, sophomore, middle hitter; Madelynn Henry, 5-10, freshman, outside hitter; Alaina Wolff, 5-5, freshman, Libero. 

Top newcomers: Karlie Ingalls, 5-7, sophomore, outside hitter; Peyton Hohn, 6-0, sophomore, middle hitter; Jocelyn Amundson, 5-5, freshman, defensive specialist; Sylea Sykes, 5-7, eighth-grader, setter.  

Outlook: The Quarriers bring back key players from last season’s team, including all-conference performers Sophi Randall, Lauryn Kloth and Madelynn Henry. Randall has more than 1,000 assists and Henry was an all-conference player as a freshman outside hitter. The trio will again lead the Erica Fersdahl-led Quarriers. 

“We have put in a ton of work in the off-season and play in an extremely competitive Dak XII Conference,” Fersdahl said. “So we are focusing on one thing at a time to ultimately reach our goal of competing for a state title in Rapid City in November.”

Estelline-Hendricks

Coach: Hilary Suther 

Key returnees: Kenzy Beare, 5-11, senior, middle hitter; Sadie Johnson, 5-7, senior, setter. 

Top newcomers: Presly Burg, 5-7, freshman, RS/setter.   

Outlook: The Redhawks will bring back a pair of all-conference performers in Kenzy Beare and Sadie Johnson. The rest of the roster will be filled with a host of new players, said coach Hilary Suther. 

“We look to improve our record from last year,” Suther said. “We have a strong core returning from last year’s team. With strong senior leadership we look to be aggressive at the net.”

Flandreau 

Coach: Julia Fargen  

Key returnees: Claire Sheppard, 6-1, senior, middle hitter; Lizzie Pavlis, 5-11, senior, middle hitter; Abby Schoeberl, 5-7, senior, setter; Lily Klein, 5-10, senior, outside hitter. 

Outlook: The Fliers will return everyone from last season’s team, including a quartet of seniors in Claire Sheppard, Lizzie Pavlis, Abby Schoeberl and Lily Klein. Sheppard, a middle hitter, logged 238 kills and 80 blocks last season. Pavlis added 192 kills and 54 blocks as a middle hitter. Setter Abby Schoeberl recorded her 1,000th career assist last season, while Lily Klein added 144 kills as an outside hitter as Flandreau eyes a deep postseason run. 

“I am incredibly excited for this season to get started,” Flandreau coach Julia Fargen said. “This is the same group of talented athletes from last year, and they are hungry for a chance to improve upon last year’s record and push further into the postseason. Our increased aggression across the net will be a big spotlight for this group. Many of my athletes were a part of last year’s Flandreau state basketball tournament, and are eager to work toward the same goal in volleyball.”

Florence-Henry 

Coach: Heather Kerkvliet 

Key returnees: Caylin Kelly, 6-0, senior, middle hitter; Taylor Watson, 5-9, senior, outside hitter; Reese Schmidt, 5-6, senior, setter.

Top newcomers: Kaija Gusso, 5-6, senior, setter; Kate Hulscher, 5-11, senior, middle hitter.  

Outlook: The Falcons bring back a trio of key returners, including hitters Caylin Kelly (377 kills) and Taylor Watson (164 kills). Setter Reese Schmidt also returns for coach Heather Kerkvliet. 

“Returning some strong starters, however, lost one with a shoulder injury,” Florence-Henry coach Heather Kerkvliet said. “Have some big spots to fill but confident we’ll do that and still be competitive again this year.”

Hamlin 

Coach: Ashley Heinrich

Key returnees: Emily Everson, 5-9, senior, outside hitter; Marissa Bawdon, 5-7, senior, setter; Addison Neuendorf, 5-4, sophomore, outside hitter; Grace Opdahl, 5-4, senior, libero. 

Top newcomers: Tiahna Lee, 5-9, senior, middle hitter; Paola Gallardo, 5-10, junior, middle hitter; Jayci Trowbridge, 5-4, freshman, DS/Libero. 

Outlook: The Chargers will usher in a set of new faces from last season’s team, which lost to Platte-Geddes in the Class A SoDak 16 round. Seniors Emily Everson and Marissa Bawdon are two-year starters, while sophomore Addison Neuendorf will be in her third season as a starter. Neuendorf, a sophomore outside hitter, was second in digs last season and was an all-Northeast Conference selection. 

“This upcoming season is definitely going to look a lot different than it has for us as we lost a lot of height in our front row,” Heinrich said. “But we have had girls step up to fill those roles and that’s exactly what we needed. We still have four girls coming back this year that had significant varsity time last year. So their leadership will be huge for us. We will be scrappy and really control our unforced errors in order to put ourselves into position to win games.”

Hanson 

Coach: Yolanda Price 

Key returnees: Kiana Berg, 5-9, junior, right side hitter; Jazzy Campbell, 5-8, junior, outside hitter; Kylie Haiar, 5-7, junior, middle hitter; Jersey Kampshoff, 5-0, junior, setter; Cadence Jarding, 5-2, junior, DS; Taziah Hawkins, 5-5, sophomore, outside hitter; Claire Bridge, 5-1, sophomore, DS. 

Top newcomers: Avarie Prien, 5-9, junior, right side hitter; Taryn Holm, 5-3, sophomore, setter; Ava Doyle, 5-6, freshman, setter.  

Outlook: The Beavers, who have no seniors on the roster, will be led by seven juniors during the 2023 season. Hanson’s roster also features four sophomores and two freshmen for coach Yolanda Price. 

“We’ve done a lot of extra work this summer with camps, individual workouts, etc.” Price said. “Hoping that all will pay off as we have been able to take some good looks at things and hopefully hit the ground running this fall. Looking forward to a great season.”

Kimball/White Lake 

Coach: Dayre Evans 

Key returnees: Ryann Nielsen, 5-9, senior, setter/outside hitter; Harley Namanny, senior, 5-6, setter/outside hitter; Madison Meire, senior, 5-4, DS; Lindy Kiehn, junior, 5-10, middle hitter; Elenna Brennan, junior, 5-9, middle hitter; Mariah Gosmire, sophomore, 5-11, middle/RS.

Top newcomers: Rylee McCord, 5-7, sophomore, outside hitter; Sienna Gillen, 5-6, sophomore; outside/DS; Harley Fuegen, 5-4, sophomore, DS; Kaitlyn Priebe, 5-6, freshman, setter. 

Outlook: Kimball/White Lake, which is under the direction of first-year coach Dayre Evans, will rely on senior leadership as it looks to make strides in 2023. 

“The WiLdKats are looking to build on their solid foundation of returning players,” Evans said. “They look to be a solid team of all around athletes but have a lot of focus at the net with blocking and attacking. Senior leadership will be crucial this year as our seniors have played in a lot of various positions and look to lead the underclassmen to reach their highest potential.”

Mobridge-Pollock

Coach: Rose Henderson 

Key returnees: Katy Kemnitz, 5-4, senior, setter; Ryli Thompson, 5-7, senior, outside hitter; Reagan Weisbeck, 5-2, senior, libero; Raelyn Aberle, 5-7, junior, outside hitter; Charley Henderson, 5-9, junior, MH/OH; Grace Overland, 5-8, junior, middle hitter; 

Top newcomers: Sophia Overland, 5-7, junior, setter/RH; Tegan Konold, 5-4, sophomore MH/RH; Jacy Netterville, 5-5, sophomore, DS; Blake Thompson, 5-6, sophomore, OH, Jayda Thompson, 5-7, sophomore, MH; Aubrey Ziegler, 5-5, senior, RH/OH; Joslyn Voegele, 5-5, senior, RH.

Outlook: The Tigers bring back a mix of young and old for coach Rose Henderson. Setter Katy Kemnitz returns after logging 347 assists, 134 digs and 55 aces last season. Ryli Thompson put down 166 kills, while Reagan Weisbeck posted 580 digs. Raelyn Aberle (245 digs/33 aces), Charley Henderson (269 kills/58 blocks/114 digs/61 aces) and Grace Overland (34 blocks/77 kills) are also key returners. 

“I am really looking forward to this season,” coach Henderson said. “We have a great group of upperclassmen and some hungry underclassmen. We look to play outstanding defense and attack aggressively. These young ladies have worked tremendously hard in the offseason and it shows already in the first week of practice. Our strengths will be good team work, strong serving and smart volleyball. Weakness is our height but we have good leapers on the team to offset that.”  

Mount Vernon/Plankinton

Coach: Darcy Deinert  

Key returnees: Reagan Rus, junior, outside hitter; Vanessa Hoffman, senior, setter; Katie Stange, senior, middle hitter; Lexy Faulhaber, senior, middle hitter; Maryssa VanGorp, senior, outside hitter; Whitney Payne, senior, defensive specialist; Clara Fink, senior, outside hitter; Ashyln Pranger, senior, middle hitter; Berkeley Engelland, senior, libero; Alexis Hauge, junior, DS; Alyssa Johsnon, junior, setter. 

Top newcomers: Madalynn Lorang, freshman, outside hitter; Taryn Hegg, sophomore, middle hitter; Maggie Overbay, sophomore, middle hitter; Madison Mueller, sophomore, outside hitter. 

Milbank 

Coach: Nancy Hoeke 

Key returnees: Rachel Schulte, 5-6, senior, setter; Skyler Skoog, 5-8, senior, hitter; Claire Snaza, 5-11, junior, hitter; Addisyn Krause, 5-2, junior, DS/setter. 

Top newcomers: Shaylee Schuchard, 5-9, senior, middle hitter/RS; Isabella Anderson, 5-6, junior, RS; Ella Sandvig, 5-4, junior, Libero; Siera Wenzl, 5-4, DS/RS.

Outlook: The Bulldogs bring back four key players from last season’s team, which continued to make strides under veteran coach Nancy Hoeke. 

“Last year we achieved the goal of having a better than .500 record and that’s another good goal to shoot for,” Hoeke said. “We have four players returning with solid experience which is a good base to build on. We need to learn how to beat the teams with winning records. It’s not enough to ‘want’ to win. Getting to a place mentally knowing there’s a job to get done and then playing as a team and believing in each other is something we will work towards. We will continue concentrating on strategy, being competitive, and to play with more intensity, purpose, and energy.”

Miller 

Coach: Linda DeBoer (695-251-2 coaching record) 

Key returnees: Jolie Palmer, sophomore, libero; Aleah Schlechter, junior, right side hitter/middle hitter; Shaylee Anderberg, senior, outside hitter. 

Top newcomers: Journey Palmer, senior, DS/OH; Heather Resel, senior, setter; Olivia Resel, junior, setter.

Outlook: The Rustlers placed fourth at last season’s Class A state tournament and bring back two starters in Jolie Palmer and Aleah Schlechter. Miller, which is again coached by Linda DeBoer, will be replacing seven seniors from last season’s team. 

“The Rustlers have another rebuilding/reloading year after graduating a strong senior class of seven who earned a fourth-place State A finish last season,” DeBoer said. “This year’s group is young and has some varsity experience in some positions and needs to find new faces to fill some very important roles. The Rustlers should have some leadership from this new group of seniors who have varsity experience and strive to keep Miller Rustler volleyball traditions going and make improvements as a team each day and in each competition.”

Parker

Coach: Carly Ball (64-54 coaching record) 

Key returnees: Halle Berens, junior; Jenna Van Velzen, junior; Hailey Phillips, junior; Shelby Pankratz, senior; Natalie Haase, senior. 

Top newcomers: Braelyn Berens; Hannah Schaeffer 

Outlook: The Pheasants welcome back five key contributors, including junior Halle Berens (202 kills, 274 digs, 33 aces and 24 blocks). Junior Jenna Van Velzen logged 70 kills, 94 digs, nine aces and seven blocks last season. Junior Hailey Phillips (133 digs), along with seniors Shelby Pankratz (39 kills/12 blocks) and Natalie Haase (33 kills/15 blocks/32 digs) are also key returners for coach Carly Ball. 

“We are still young but gained a lot of experience last year and look forward to continuing to grow in skills,” Ball said. “The girls are excited to compete and be in the gym again.”

Redfield 

Coach: Joel Osborn  

Key returnees: Katie Rozell, senior, middle hitter; Chloe Zens, senior, outside hitter. 

Top newcomers: Hayden Gall, sophomore, setter; Kinley Smith, sophomore, middle hitter; Cecilia Suchor, sophomore, outside hitter.  

Outlook: The Pheasants will be led by hitters Katie Rozell and Chloe Zens this season. Rozell racked up 243 kills, 52 blocks and 221 digs as the middle hitter spot. Zens logged 367 digs, 104 kills and 21 aces from the outside hitter position. After the duo, the Pheasants will be filling in spots with a new cast of players 

“We will be a rather inexperienced squad, but led by a group of 3 seniors (Katie Rozell, Chloe Zens, and Jersey Morrison) who still have high expectations for themselves and the group as a whole,” Redfield coach Joel Osborn said. 

Sioux Valley 

Coach: Jill Vincent (245-165 coaching record) 

Key returnees: Kaedyn Sapp, junior, OH/MH; Adison Renkly, junior, middle hitter; Jada Knutson, senior, right side hitter; Keyra Kruse, junior, right side hitter; Allie Hofer, junior, outside hitter; Talya Vincent, sophomore, DS/S.

Outlook: The Cossacks bring back eight letterwinners, including six starters, from last season’s 19-13 campaign. The returners are highlighted by all-conference performers Kaedyn Sapp and Adison Renkly. 

“Blocking will again be a strength of this team and their team chemistry keeps getting stronger as they play together and learn to trust what their teammates are able to do,” Sioux Valley coach Jill Vincent said. “This group has played a lot of volleyball together and they have grown individually as well as growing as a cohesive unit. It has been a very fun transition to be a part of and see them have success as a result of their hard work.”

Stanley County 

Coach: TJ Drageset 

Key returnees: Brylee Kafka, 5-8, junior, outside hitter; Cadence Hand, 5-10, senior, middle/outside hitter; Reese Hand, 5-4, junior, libero. 

Top newcomers: Caycee Knight, 5-7, junior, setter; Breckyn Huebner, 6-1, sophomore, RS/middle hitter; Mattie Duffy, 5-8, senior, outside hitter; Tatum Scott, 5-8, senior, RS; Olivia Frederick, 5-7, senior, setter. 

Outlook: The Buffaloes, who are under first-year head coach T.J. Drageset, bring back three key players in Brylee Kafka, Cadence Hand and Reese Hand. Kafka logged 85 kills and 20 blocks last season, while Hand posted 180 kills and 24 blocks. Hand recorded 212 digs. 

“We have a lot of talent coming into this season,” Drageset said. “We put in a lot of time in the offseason and have been working hard in the preseason. Losing six seniors last year means we have some roles to fill. The girls have stepped up and have filled those shoes. I am really excited to see what this group of girls are capable of.” 

Tiospa Zina 

Coach: Eric Heath  

Key returnees: Maya Deutsch, 6-0, junior, outside hitter; Kami Crawford, 5-8, junior, middle hitter; Maryann Garland, 5-7, senior, setter.

Outlook: The Wambdi return three starters — Maya Deutsch, Kami Crawford and Maryann Garland — for coach Eric Heath. Deutsch averaged five kills and 10 digs last season, while Crawford averaged 12 digs and eight assists. Garland averaged 12 assists. 

“We are looking forward to the season,” Heath said. “We return three starters and are still a young team.”

Wagner

Coach: Stacey Knebel 

Key returnees: Macy Koupal, 5-10, senior, setter; Madi Knebel, 5-4, senior, libero; Kya Kjeldgaard, 6-0, senior, outside hitter/middle blocker; Shona Kocer, 6-0, senior, middle blocker. 

Top newcomers: Ashlyn Koupal, 6-2, sophomore, outside hitter; Aubrey Medricky, 5-11, senior, outside hitter; Ravyn Medricky, 6-0, freshman, middle blocker; Braxton Nedved, 5-6, freshman, DS/setter.  

Outlook: The Raiders bring back five letterwinners from last season’s 32-5 campaign, which ended with a seventh-place finish at state. Wagner, under coach Stacey Knebel, expects to be among the top Class A teams again this season. 

“We bring back some seasoned seniors that are going to be big leaders for our team,” Knebel said. “They are an eager group that just love to play together. They have big goals and have been working hard toward them this summer. We should be a top contender this year. This group is a great group of ladies that have been around for a long time and I am very confident in their work ethic and confidence in each other that will have another successful season.”

West Central

Coach: Corissa Sweeter  

Key returnees: Jocelyn Nilson, 5-3, senior, libero; Marissa Dobbs, 5-8, senior, setter/RS; Landry Heath, 5-5, junior, DS; Ellie Lienhard, 5-6, senior, setter.

Top newcomers: Cambree Ideker, 5-7, freshman, middle hitter; Maddyx Ingalls, 5-5, freshman, outside hitter.  

Outlook: The Trojans will look to make improvements as coach Corissa Sweeter is set for her second season as head coach. 

“We are looking to be stronger than last year,” Sweeter said. “The team works well together, which helps on the court. We have old, well experienced varsity players coupled with some young hitters which will help our offense. We have a very capable and experienced defense.”