FORT MADISON - Melissa Freesmeier has coached high school volleyball long enough to understand the natural evolution of a team from one season to the next.
Sure, Freemeier lost a lot of talent and leadership from last season’s Holy Trinity team that finished second in the Class 1A state tournament.
But there’s still a lot coming back for the Crusaders, and for Freesmeier, the next few weeks before the season begins is trying to figure out who fills in around that talent.
It’s something she’s done many times before and the pieces always seem to find their place.
“It’s a volleyball culture here,” Freesmeier said. “The young kids, they’ve been working like the older kids have. They’ve put in the time in the offseason, and we’ll see who’s ready to step on that varsity court.”
The Crusaders lost Mary Kate Bendlage (322 kills, 35 blocks, 437 digs), Natalie Randolph (207 kills, 483 assists, 32 blocks, 358 digs) and Taegan Denning (101 kills, 10 blocks, 291 digs), along with fellow seniors Jenna Hellman (22 digs, 98% serving) and Reagan Holvoet (injured all season). That’s leadership, and production, that has to be filled.
But four key players from last season’s team — seniors Anna Bendlage and Teagan Snaadt, junior Presley Myers, and sophomore Adalyn Kruse — are back.
“I think a lot of people are doubting us,” said Myers, who led Holy Trinity with 334 kills and 126 blocks last season. “But we have a lot of experience and we’re excited to show everybody what we’ve got.”
“I think this team can go super far,” said Anna Bendlage, who had 109 kills and 446 assists last season. “I think a lot of people think that we're not going to be very good because of who we lost.”
If anything, Bendlage said, the way last season ended, with the loss to Ankeny Christian in the state championship game, has provided a spark for the returning players.
“I think we just have to reflect on last year and try to bring that positive energy into this year, to try to kind of motivate us, since we didn't finish at our end goal last year,” she said. “I think we just have to try to use that as motivation.”
“It’s tons of motivation,” Snaadt said. “I feel like it just makes us all very hungry to get back to (the state tournament) and hopefully come out on top this time. But we're a brand new team, so we're starting from day one.”
Bendlage and Snaadt have done a good job of moving into their senior leadership roles, Freesmeier said.
“It’s a different vibe, but it’s a good vibe,” Freesmeier said. “They lead a little differently. They're a little quieter than my other leaders, but they’re doing a great job, and the kids are responding well.”
Both say they have embraced their roles as seniors.
“My sister leaving made me realize that this was the last year for everything,” Bendlage said. “It's your last first practice. It’s your last first game of the season. It's your last everything. So I just try to make the best out of everything.”
“Just having the prior experience and being led by the girls last year has helped a lot,” Snaadt said. “And continuing to play at the level I was playing at, but also like helping other people, is going to be important. As upperclassmen, just kind of teaching the small things that we do here and being a good role model for the younger players is definitely a big new task for us to do this year.”
Myers, who has been in the lineup since her freshman year, has become one of the state’s best middle hitters in her first two seasons, and that experience has put her in the center of the Crusaders’ offense. It’s also made her another leader on and off the court.
“It’s really helped me,” Myers said. “I knew last year, like, when Adalyn was playing as a freshman, I knew what that felt like. I know that some of these other freshmen are going to be playing varsity, and I just know what that feels like, so it's good. I feel like I can help them and just make them feel comfortable, because sometimes you can get a little bit nervous coming into that.”
Kruse, who had 145 kills and 80 blocks with extensive playing time last year as a freshman, could stay in her middle hitter role or move to the outside.
“I learned a lot last season, just because I wasn’t used to playing with everybody, and getting that (playing time) was important,” Kruse said. “I got used to the intensity (of playing varsity).”
This season, she said, “I’m a lot more calm.”
The Crusaders don’t open until September 3, so Freesmeier has plenty of time to figure out her lineup.
“I’m just ready to put it all together with this team,” she said.
“We're a young team,” Snaadt said. “We don't have as many seniors like last year.. But I don't think that changes like our end goal, or how we practice, or what kind of team we are.”
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