August 23, 2021 at 8:16 a.m.
Team preview: RHS volleyball
Team preview: RHS volleyball
Rome was not built in a day, and if Rhinelander returns to the form that saw it competing for conference championships in the early 2010s, it will be a process that takes years not months.
In that vein, 2021 will be about laying a foundation from which future teams can build. Wolter is the team's fourth head coach in five years and success has been lean in that span. Since Kathy Wawrzynowicz retired following the end of the 2017 season, Rhinelander has won only two matches in three years.
The team hopes to change that beginning today as it hosts Chequamegon, Hurley and Elcho in a quadrangular meet at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
"It's been a long time since these girls have seen that win column and it would be nice to get the ball rolling and get the season started on a good note," Wolter said.
A long time is 728 days, to be precise. Rhinelander's last win came all the way back on Aug. 27, 2019 against Bruce at the Friendship Tournament in Wisconsin Dells.
This year's squad got its first taste of action Saturday in a scrimmage against Wausau East at the Miazga Gym. Wolter said the need for his team to receive serve and pass better was apparent to start the season and underscored during the scrimmage. He said those two things must be improved first and foremost for the team to play more competitive points.
"We've been a very poor ball handling club for the past several years and we've got to clean that up," he said. "If we don't get in system, the offense doesn't run the way it should. We have to find a way to get into system more."
The good news for the Hodags is they do return a number of contributors from last year's team.
A pair of back row players with returning varsity experience, Reagan Hartman and Carly Schmidt, will look to help in the aspect. Hartman who took over at libero midway through last season was tied for second on the team in digs, while Schmidt is seeing her fourth year of varsity action from the defensive specialist position.
"I see Reagan Hartman and Carly Schmidt really anchoring down our back row, getting balls up and taking care of getting us in system," Wolter said.
On the other end, Rhinelander brings back its leader in kills a season ago, in junior Ava Lamers. She'll be counted on to do more than just put the ball down this year.
"Ava, she's going to be a contributor, especially out the middle for us," Wolter said. "She's a six-position player which is very helpful to kind of save on substitutions where we don't have to worry about that spot having to get subbed out in the back row."
The team will have an upperclassmen heavy front row. Ariel Pauer, second on the team in kills last year, is back for her senior season. Fellow seniors Rivers Eagleson, Brynn Brzycki and Natalee Sundby will provide height up front as well.
The setter position remains unsettled going into the season, as the team tries to determine who will take of a role primarily filled last year Olivia TerBeest, who has since graduated. Junior Addi DeMeyer got some experience setting last year, but Wolter said she's in a three-way battle with Maddi Roeser and Morgan Boulette for that position. How that battle shakes out may also determine what sort of formation the team ultimately runs.
"We do have some pretty good height on this team," Wolter said. "We have some tall girls that can throw up a big block. That's only going to help our defense, the bigger we can get up front. It would be a preferred 6-2, but if need be we can adjust and go to a 5-1."
Rhinelander has two non-conference tournaments prior to the start of Great Northern Conference play Sept. 2 at home against Lakeland. In addition to Chequamegon today, the team is scheduled to play Bruce this weekend in the Dells. Those two teams represent the last two the Hodags have defeated. Wolter said he's hoping for a bit of confidence out of this week's events.
"Hopefully being at home, being in a familiar place against some smaller schools, we can build a little confidence and kind of find our way into a rhythm before heading down to a big tournament that Thursday and playing Friday and Saturday against some good competition down there," he said.
As for the GNC, Wolter said he expects usual contenders such as Mosinee, Medford, Antigo and Northland Pines to reload. He also expects Tomahawk, which returns all three of its all-conference selections from last year, to take a step forward.
That means success in the GNC, where the Hodags have dropped 33 straight matches, will still be hard to come by.
"It's something we're going to have to really fight for and compete," Wolter said. "That's going to be what our conference season is, going into compete with these (teams) and play scrappy enough defense to where we can maybe sneak out a win or two against some of those better teams."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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