Waukon volleyball team returns five letterwinners for 2022 campaign
2022 Waukon volleyball freshmen through seniors ... Left to right - Front row: Assistant Coaches Payton Moore and Ashley Dougherty, Marissa Benda, Mari Delaney, Alyssa Connelly, Bailey Sherman, Cassidy Gibbs, Berlin Troendle, Maggie Criswell, Jayden Knox, Claire Opperman, Kiana Krueger; Second row: Bobbi Finney, Caidee Lloyd, Emma O’Neill, Taylor Jackson, Reese McCormick, Kiersten Gibbs, Keira McCormick, Ava Bossom, Kloe Hemmersbach, Lynsey Houg, Olivia Bossom, Maya Dahlstrom; Third row: Bella Moudy, Isabella Rounds, Devynne Kruse, Madilyn McNamara, Halea Corwin, Eva Whalen, Avery Regan, Elle Wilkins, Willa Troendle, Olivia Dougherty, Lauryn Howard, McKenzie Lier; Back row: Annie Ellingson, Avalea Burns, Taylor Kiel, Reagan Lubahn, Dakota Steiber, Kelsey Hennessy, Emily Ronan, Breelyn Dahlstrom, Paisley Vine; Head Coach Randy Nordheim.
2022 Waukon volleyball returning letterwinners ... Left to right: Jayden Knox, Cassidy Gibbs, McKenzie Lier, Berlin Troendle, Maggie Criswell.
A total of 43 young ladies have reported for early-season practices for the 2022 Waukon volleyball team, which will be headlined this season by the return of five varsity letterwinners from last season’s squad that produced one of the program’s best season records in recent years. The net Tribe played to a 15-20 overall mark on the year last fall, including a 2-3 mark in Northeast (NEIC) play that landed the Indians in fourth place in the final NEIC team standings, their best league finish since the 2009 season.
This season’s squad will be guided by a new but familiar face in the Waukon volleyball program, as Randy Nordheim will take up the head coaching reins for the Indians. Nordheim has had other stints at the helm of the Tribe’s net program, including a single season in 2017 and a previous much longer tenure in which he guided the Lady Indians to a State Tournament appearance in 2003, with Nordheim having served as a volunteer assistant coach last fall.
All five of this season’s most veteran returnees are seniors and represent pretty much every aspect of the game in their specialties. Maggie Criswell, Cassidy Gibbs, Jayden Knox, McKenzie Lier and Berlin Troendle will each be returning for their final season in a Waukon volleyball uniform and will each be bringing back considerable experience at the varsity level of play.
“They set the tone for attitude and work ethic for the team,” Coach Nordheim said of his letterwinning returnees. “They have been really good communicators with me, letting me know what’s working and what’s not working when we’re trying new drills and talking strategy with the personnel we have.”
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