After going 7-15 with a roster that featured four freshmen last season, the MMCRU volleyball team is taking some good experience into the 2024 season.
This year’s MMCRU volleyball team will have a good mix of experience with those freshmen heading into their sophomore year along with some upper classmen who will look to lead them along. MMCRU head coach Heather Youde says that mix of age and experience has allowed the Royals to get off to a good start right away.
MMCRU ran a two-person setting scheme last year that featured a senior in Jadyn Young and a freshman in Tia Tentinger. Tentinger is now a sophomore and will have to put to work all the things she was able to learn from Young last season. Coach Youde says that year of working together will only make Tentinger better in the long run.
A new aspect to this year’s Royal team will be their size. Four Royals measure 5’10” or taller leading to a team that could be feared along the net. Coach Youde says that is a part of the defensive side that gets the girls fired up.
That strong front row block will be paired with a great back row presence led by libero Breanna Staab. Staab finished fourth in the War Eagle Conference in digs last year and has taken a bigger step into this season. Coach Youde says her leadership paired with her skill makes her someone that has to be on the floor at all times.
MMCRU will be battle tested once they get their season started with competitions that count. That is because they will have plenty of scrimmages under their belt to test them. Coach Youde says those scrimmages should help the Royals compete with some of the quicker teams in the area.
MMCRU’s regular season opener is Thursday, August 29 at home for a non-conference matchup with Kingsley-Pierson.
