Mindset matters as Wolverines prep for net season

Following a lot of summer work, including scrimmages, camp and now about 10 days of official volleyball practice, the Wolverines are ready to roll and face some real competition next week.

Nodaway Valley/OM hosts Atlantic in a non-conference match that has been added for Thursday, Aug. 28. That will be the season opener for both programs. Varsity action will tentatively start at 7 p.m.

The Wolverines feel they have many reasons to be excited, though they’re trying to put in the past a season a year ago in which they struggled to win sets and matches.

Not only do they have a full gym of 26 girls preparing for the season, the squad is led by a senior class of seven that could increase by one or two more before the season. The team has a combination of talent that returns from last year and others who haven’t been out for a few years.

The team is under the leadership of head coach Allie Kiburz, who returns for the first time since 2021. She’s assisted by Courtney Woodcock and NV alum Corinne Bond.

“Even this summer, we’ve had a lot of girls putting in a lot of work,” Kiburz said. “We’ve done open gyms, camps, an overnight camp, a camp here, had some scrimmages where schools came here and scrimmaged us. We’ve really tried to prepare as much as possible. We had such a good attendance rate. There really weren’t very many girls who missed.”

Kiburz is very pleased to see the participation numbers up. They will allow NV/OM to field three teams: varsity, junior varsity and freshman. The girls throughout the program have been coachable, willing to take initiative and build the necessary building blocks for teamwork, the coach said.

“It’s a different dynamic for everybody for who they’re playing with,” Kiburz said.

Emma Boswell, Caroline Britten, Izzy Eisbach, Kylie Nelson, Kiara Stevens, Mallory Russell and Kynnady Van Eaton were this year’s seniors as of last Friday.

Eisbach said intensity in practices has been at an optimum level.

“We have a great group of girls and a lot of girls out. It’s been exciting to get in the gym for a couple hours each day, giving it all we have and competing with each other,” Eisbach said. “It’s really exciting and I think everyone’s on the same page. Having chemistry and focusing on the little things are a few early goals.”

A leading player for Orient-Macksburg a year ago, Emma Boswell said she and the other former Bulldogs have been welcomed at Nodaway Valley well.

“We’re getting to know each other really well,” Emma Boswell said. “We’re adjusting pretty well to knowing how each other plays. We definitely want to keep communicating more. We can always talk more [on the court].”

Britten has been injured the last two volleyball seasons to where she hasn’t been able to get very much court time. She’s excited for that to change this year.

“It means the world to me getting to play volleyball again,” Britten said. “It’s my favorite sport. I love being around the girls and being in the gym.”

The newspaper plans to talk to the other seniors thoughout the season.

The roster’s depth in number also carries with it depth in potential strategy or schemes. Junior Adelaide Livingston was setter for the Wolverines last year while Mattie Thompson, now a Wolverine, played that same position for Orient-Macksburg. Britten and Alllie Cornelison are both possibilities for a libero jersey. The name of the game for NV/OM has been to be adaptable and imitatable.

“There’s such a difference between a ninth grader and 12th grader. We’re practicing in the same gym everyday and you’re looking for that role model who is always running to their spot, always cheering on their teammates or diving on the ground for the ball, giving 100% effort,” Kiburz said. “In volleyball, it’s such a mental, full-paced game. If someone gets down, you kind of get sucked into a hole. You really need someone to get you out of there, whether that’s vocally or they’re going to step up and make a big play.”

Before the Wolverines face Atlantic, they will scrimmage Cumberland-Anita-Massena at home this Friday. JV and freshmen will play at 5 p.m. with varsity to follow. Their goal is to be finished with volleyball before the 7 p.m. football scrimmage begins outside.

“Volleyball is such a game of mindset. I’m one who preaches mindset over and over and over. That controls everything else. That’s hard when you have a ball that you shank against the net. You have to reset every single play,” Kiburz said. “I’m excited for this year. We have a really strong group of girls coming in and I’m going to be excited to see what they can do.”