Volleyball team confident it can compete with anybody

The members of New Prague High School’s volleyball team has strong expectations for this season.

“We know we can compete with anybody. We expect to be in a position to win every time we step on the court, and bring a tenacious, competitive spirit every day in both practices and games,” said head coach Greg Sayuk.

That competitive feeling comes from the fact the team has 10 returning players this year and four new players. The Trojans only lost five players to graduation. Sayuk said of the five players, three were rotation players and two were subs. From that group, middle hitter Claire Baribeau was an all-conference player and team coMVP.

In 2022, New Prague had an overall record of 15-14 and was 4-3 in the conference. In the section playoffs, the Trojans started with a 3-0 win over Bloomington Kennedy, but then lost, 3-2, to Delano.

The 10 returning players, plus newcomers, and the positions they will be playing are setter - senior Annalise Wilson (second year as starting setter); libero - sophomore Kira Brundage (second year as starting libero); outside hitters - junior Emerson Dillon (second year as starting outside hitter; played libero as a freshman and defensive specialist as an eighth-grader) and sophomore Kyla Klein (first year as a varsity player). Senior Katelyn Sirek will also see time at this position.

The middle hitters are senior Avery Terning (second year as starting middle hitter) and sophomore Alexis Ashley (first year as varsity player). Junior Katie Boulanger will also see...

To see more on this story pick up the September 7, 2023 print edition of The New Prague Times.