From familiar faces to a first-time collegiate player, Northern State volleyball coach Brent Aldridge likes what he sees as he heads into his 14th season with the Wolves.
“I like the makeup of our team,” Aldridge said.
NSU will have proven veterans like Natalia Szybinska and Abby Brooks. However, injuries to Morrisen Samuels and Victoria Persha means others will need to step up this season.
“We have some kids that have not been on the court at Northern State that will be on the court at Northern State,” Aldridge said.
He pointed out two players in particular who have shined in preseason practice as the Wolves gear up for their season opener on Friday.
“Linnea Nesheim is just playing fabulous in practice. I’m excited to watch her,” Aldridge said. “Katelyn Schroeder will be starting. She’s been really good in practice.”
Schroeder, who helped lead Hitchcock-Tulare to a fourth-place finish at the State B tournament a year ago, will be in a new position for the Wolves.
“What Katelyn provides is her ability to ball control too on the right side,” Aldridge said. “She won’t be on the outside for us, she’ll be at right side.”
Nesheim and Schroeder will likely never leave the court this fall, giving Northern something it hasn’t had for a while, accoding to Aldridge.
“It’s been a hot minute since we had people play back row. Linnea Nesheim absolutely will play back row. Katelyn Schroeder will play back row,” Aldridge said. “So that provides us some back row attacking and gives us another dimension we haven’t had probably since 2019. It provides us something different than we had the last couple years.
Aldridge plans to use a variety of players this season, allowing them to get varsity experience beneficial for the long term.
“We do have some kids coming back,” Aldridge said. “I just think it’s absolutely good when you get other kids experience, too. Because, eventually those kids are leaving. Abby Brooks is going to graduate late in December.”
Aldridge said this year’s team has some lofty, yet realistic goals, and it all starts when the Wolves take on Mary at a tourney in Chadron, Neb. on Friday.
“We have to see if we can win the coin toss and start from there. Start the season that way, but I like where we’re at numbers-wise in practice,” Aldridge said. “Ava Nilsson’s doing a good job. Riley Batta is running the offense. I think they’re doing a good job.”
Aldridge said he hasn’t decided on a starting lineup yet and has deliberately separated the players on different sides of the net so they become accustomed to playing with each other.
“I don’t have a starting line-up, I’m getting closer, but I’ve never put them all on the same side to see what it looks like,” Aldridge said. “We mix the parts, that way people are ready to hit off either setter and you’re ready to pass beside whoever.”
Aldridge said the players have already established goals for the upcoming season. One is to qualify for the NCAA Tournament another is an impressive win total.
“Their goal was to win 23-plus matches. Now some of them don’t understand how hard that is,” Aldridge said, “but at the same time, if you don’t win early, the gauntlet you’re going to have to run, our last eight, St. Cloud, Mankato, CSP, Winona, Southwest, Sioux Falls, Augie and Wayne. It’s brutal. It was brutal last year and we went 8-2 down the stretch.”
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is traditionally one of the best volleyball conferences in all of NCAA Division II. Aldridge knows there are no gimmes on the schedule.
“There’s not a lot of room for error when you look at our schedule,” he said.
Aldridge also knows that his team is going to show up for each match prepared to give maximum effort and leave it all on the court
“They put that big scoreboard out there for a reason, so if people think that winning doesn’t matter, then … it absolutely does … I think our team,” Aldridge said, “I can only speak for our team, competes hard every day in practice, so at the end of the week, your pay back is winning. I don’t go into any match going, ah, it’s OK to lose this one.”
The veteran coach said the tone is set during the week so that the results are evident on the weekend during matches.
“I think you have to have the wars in practice to prepare yourself for what’s going to hit you,” Aldridge said.
Aldridge knows what the Wolves will need to do for their plans and goals to fall into place this upcoming season.
“I think early in the year you have to be able to serve and pass. In the middle of the year you have to be able to serve and pass, and if you want to be good late in the year, you have to be able to serve and pass, and terminate,” Aldridge said. “You have to be able to terminate, and our kill percentage needs to increase.”
