Kenyon volleyball captains looking to lead as season starts off on right foot

The fun part about high school sports is that things are always changing. A good team this year might face challenges next. If you’ve been waiting for a chance to finally make a run at a state or conference title, that time might be soon.

Of course, that change sometimes means your best players head out the door, and now you’re left trying to replace them. It’s the sort of challenge Kenyon-Wannamingo volleyball coach Siri Quam is facing this year, as the Knights look to replace libero Rachel Ryan. It’s not impossible, there are other good players on this team and other ways to win.

And while a roster might change, culture can be a constant that transcends constant turnover.

“I think we have a really good program going where there’s a little bit of an informal mentorship that kind of goes on,” Quam said following practice last week. “Rachel Ryan, our libero last year really took our libero this year, Emily Jarvis, under her wing at the beginning of the last season all the way through the end of the season. And so kind of continuing that relationship building from the younger girls to the older girls.”

Some of those older girls? Enter captains Lydia Flotterud and Carmen Nerison. They know what it’s like to be new to the team, or filling in what is left over from teammates graduating. And like all veteran players, they know it’s not about replacing what was with one single player but doing it as a team.

“You really focus in practice, working your way around it and finding different ways that you can fill that hole,” Flotterud said.

And like all teams, it also comes down to the vibes. Good chemistry can make up for a lot of things. If you’ve got a bad attitude little problems become big problems. A great attitude and you can find ways to come together and solve problems. Every season has ups and every season has downs, the question is how you handle both.

“It’s keeping our energy pretty consistent,” Nerison said. “Pretty much just knowing that we’re gonna have ups and downs, and just trying to keep the positivity through the whole season.”

The good news, the Knights are 1-0, a 3-1 victory over Sebka to open the season, a Thursday clash against United South Central a chance to show that things might always be changing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t overcome it.