Bemidji Girls’ Volleyball Sees New Leaders Emerge in 2025 Season

“One mind, one mission”—that’s the mantra for Bemidji girls’ volleyball this season. It’s even written on the backs of their practice shirts as a reminder of what the team is striving towards.

The Lumberjacks look vastly different from a year ago after graduating five of their six starters. They’re still trying to find that one mind as they fill in the gaps, but they’re confident their mission is headed in the right direction.

“I really like the group of girls we have. They’re a lot of fun,” said senior captain Casey Story. “We don’t have as many leaders as we did last year, I feel, as of right now, but it’s a big change. And I know a couple of us have stepped up. Margie [Anderson was] super energetic and without her here, it’s a lot quieter, so I’ve been trying to just talk more.”

“We’re all new,” added senior captain Catelyn Nowak. “Some of us have been playing with each other for a few years, some of us have never seen each other before, so getting comfortable with each other on the court, knowing who we’re playing with and who we are surrounded by—it’s a lot to get used to, but I think we’re doing really with it, but we can still use some work on it.”

There’s no substitute for experience, and junior captain Norah Jacobson has the most of any player on this season’s roster, having both started and rotated regularly as a sophomore on the varsity.

“It definitely helped me a lot to get the varsity aspect and the playing level,” she said. “And I think it helped me a lot to carry into this season with having that experience and trying to lead these other girls who haven’t had as much experience.”

She continued, “I feel like our energy has been really good and it’s just been increasing every single game, and I think we have a lot of potential. We just need to unlock it a little bit more, and I think we will as the games go on.”

With the Lumberjacks still searching for their first win this season, they’ll try to unlock that potential when they host rival Moorhead on Thursday, September 11.