EXCITEMENT IN THE AIR AS NORTHEAST VOLLEYBALL PREPARES FOR 2024 SEASON

NORFOLK, Neb. – The Northeast Community College volleyball team has put in three weeks of work to prepare for a four-game tournament this weekend in Garden City, Kansas. The Hawks have seven sophomores and 10 freshmen who spent much of training camp coming together as a team and are ready to hit the floor for the first time as a group during live action.

Amanda Schultze is preparing for her 12th year as the head coach for Northeast and has brought in a roster of 17 student-athletes who all hail from the state of Nebraska. What does having a group full of players who grew up experiencing, 'The Good Life,' signify?

"It means more support and fans traveling," Schultze said. "Most of them are small-town kids who were three-sport athletes and have to work for things they want or need. Their work ethic is usually outstanding."

Northeast Volleyball has more freshmen on the roster than sophomores, but when asked about who has shown leadership qualities so far this year from her returners, there are a few names who come to mind.

"Shaylyn Safranek (Merna, Neb.)," Schultze said. "Jayda Christensen (Norfolk, Neb.) has improved a lot over the last year. Alexa Cunningham (Wausa, Neb.) shows everything in her actions. She shows up every day and works hard."

At a two-year college there is always an emphasis placed on freshmen that can step in and immediately hit the ground running and Schultze has been impressed by her new additions so far.

"Mya Hedstrom from O'Neill St. Mary's High School stands out," Schultze said. "She is an outside that can play all the way around. Six rotations. She is about six-foot tall. Just athletic and long. She has a lot of power and is a solid passer, which helps in the back row."

Hedstrom competed in the 2024 Northeast Nebraska All-Star Volleyball Game with fellow freshmen Daveigh Munter-McAfee (Wakefield, Neb.), Katy Jones (Hartington, Neb.), Allison Wieseler (Wynot, Neb.), Teya Boyer (Plainview, Neb.) and Mallory Eriksen (Laurel, Neb.). Jones is another newcomer who has caught the eye of Schultze.

"Katy Jones from Hartington Cedar Catholic High School is another one," Schultze said. "Almost every single practice we've had she brings a lot of energy when she steps on the floor. If there is a shanked ball, she chases after it and always gets a hand on it. I don't know if there's been one that she hasn't gotten a hand on. She brings that type of hustle and excitement."

Bringing in a freshman class of 10 student-athletes is a little larger than usual, but Schultze and her staff put their heads together and created a plan with their recruiting class.

"Our thought process was we lost two outsides," Schultze said. "I needed to be deeper in that outside position with players that could play in the back row if needed. I knew our setter and libero positions would be big."

Speaking of her coaching staff, Schultze added former Northeast Volleyball standout Liz Christensen as an assistant coach this year and is thrilled by the early returns she has seen from her new bench mate.

"She has a lot of coaching experience," Schultze said. "She stepped in the first day and acted like she had been here awhile. She is comfortable and confident. She is a really great asset to our team. She hit in college too so she has a lot of experience with hitting, where my experience is with setting and passers. It is really nice to have her on staff. Somone who knows our program and knows what is expected."

Northeast Volleyball went on an incredible stretch from 2016-2019 where they appeared at the national tournament four-straight seasons. Region 11 remains one of the tougher conferences in the country and Schultze understands the importance of taking the one-day-at-a-time approach while also valuing the rich tradition that Northeast Volleyball has built.

"We talk about it a little bit here and there as the season gets going," Schultze said. "Once we start conference games it will be talked about more and we will look at their team goals. We remind each other at the beginning of practices to get 1% better every day that we step on the court. We have the depth, the experience and the leadership needed."

Throughout fall camp, Schultze has noticed that her group has been coming together as a team each and every day.

"We have had pretty good team chemistry the last couple of weeks," Schultze said. "We have good leadership by the sophomores. They aren't scared to say, 'Hey, you guys need to do this,' or, 'Hey, you guys need to do that.' And honestly, when we scrimmage, it's pretty good play and it's competitive."

As with most teams, Schultze knows that there will be initial jitters out of the gate.

"Once the first game is over or even the first set, I think the nerves will settle down," Schultze said. "I'm nervous too, just because I don't know who I'm going to play. I feel like I could send a different six out there every time and we will still be okay. I'm excited to see what they can do and how they can compete. As long as we get better each game. We need to continue to show up."

Schultze didn't talk with her group about what they want to achieve during the 2024 campaign when she sat her group down in their first team meeting as she has a long-standing tradition of allowing her players to outline what they want their season to look like.

"We didn't talk about goals," Schultze said. "They do that on their own as a team, but we discussed expectations and what I expect of them when we're out on the road or when they are out in the community."

Alternatively, there are a few things that Schultze wants to see to consider this season a successful one.

"Our players getting better, obviously," Schultze said. "Being in the top three or four in our conference would be pretty successful, and continued classroom success."

The Hawks will begin their season at 9 a.m. Friday against Vernon College in Garden City, Kansas in what will be the first of a four-game tournament to begin the year. The first home match for Northeast will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in a battle with Mount Marty University JV at the Cox Activities Center in Norfolk.

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