This could be a special fall for Park volleyball.
Every player from last season’s successful campaign returns in a now senior-dominated roster. The Wolfpack return talent, senior leadership and depth.
“We have everybody’s back since we didn’t have any seniors last year so everybody’s returning which should be a pretty cool thing for us,” said head coach Amy Johnson. “We have some big goals, and we’ve got some work to do and I think we’re still an underdog even though we have everybody returning. I still think we have a little bit of an underdog status. So it’s going to take everybody to take us to where we want to go.”
Back for the Wolfpack are experienced seniors -- hitters Rainna Jameson, Carly Slusser and Sonja Lind, setter Hannah Maxwell, and defensive specialist Jenna Katlack.
Add to that mix star ninth grade middle hitter Mesa Jamison, senior DS Peyton Moerke, setters Veda Weber and Jazzlyn Collier and a deep bench and Park will have a talented team to turn loose.
“It’s going to be exciting,” said Johnson. “This is going to be an electric gym this year.”
Slusser led the Wolfpack in kills last season with 278, Mesa Jameson had 151, Sonja Lind 144 and Rainna Jameson 87. Maxwell had a whopping 574 set assists. Six players had serve percentage of .842 or better. Mesa Jameson led Park in blocks with 43.
Team strengths should be cohesiveness, “they genuinely like to spend time with each other,” said Johnson. “And that’s something you can’t fake, it’s sometimes something that you can’t really create. It happens naturally.”
Weaknesses might be more mental than physical, Johnson said. “Maybe getting ahead of ourselves. We’re kind of now more on the mental side of the game. We need to stay focused in the moment and who our opponent is on that particular day and not get two or three steps ahead of ourselves. And just make sure we take it one match at a time, one opponent at a time, just keep building and building and building.”
Park went 18-10 a year ago, finishing tied for fifth in the always tough Suburban East Conference with a 5-4 record. The Wolfpack won their Section 3AAAA quarterfinal 3-1 over Eastview, then dropped a 3-0 decision to perennial volleyball power East Ridge in the section semifinals.
The Wolfpack will be shooting for top of the conference this season, making a deep a run in the sections and a possible trip to state.
“We really think that this year we can make it to state,” said Lind. “That’s our main goal so we’re going to put a lot of focus in our practices and in the gym this year because we really want to make it to state, and we think this is one of the best teams Park has had in a while. So, we’re really excited for that.”
“I think one of the biggest goals is making it to state,” agreed Maxwell. “I think focusing and beating the teams that we haven’t beaten before and locking in.”
2024 Park volleyball schedule. (All matches start at 7 p.m.)
Aug. 27 at Apple Valley
Aug. 29 at Rosemount
Sept. 3 Eastview
Sept. 10 Hudson
Sept. 12 New Life Academy
Sept. 17 White Bear Lake
Sept. 19 Forest Lake
Sept. 23 at East Ridge
Sept. 25 Woodbury
Oct. 1 at Roseville
Oct. 3 Mounds View
Oct. 8 at Cretin-Derham Hall
Oct. 10 Irondale
Oct. 14 at Stillwater
