Brainerd Girls’ Volleyball Searching for Consistency in 2024

Brainerd girls’ volleyball has opened 2024 slow, dropping its first three matches to Alexandria, Moorhead, and Rocori. But the girls broke the skid Tuesday night, taking down St. Cloud Apollo in straight sets, and they’re aiming to make that result a sign of things to come.

The Warriors started this season with top flight competition, facing two teams ranked top six in Class AAA in Alexandria and Rocori, but with those matches came valuable lessons.

“We can play with any team so far that we’ve played and we’re right there,” said captain Karley Dunham. “I mean, I think it’s just like, at the end we just have to focus and we can win. I mean, especially in Moorhead and Alex, we had sets where we were right there, only lost by a couple of points. So we know we can win. We just have to figure out what it is and then get going on the wins.”

And while there is room for improvement, their defense, namely team digging, has stood out, with Dunham, Emma Garding, and Ava Loney each accounting for over 60 digs thus far.

“We just need to work on more blocking so our diggers can know where to go,” explained Loney. “As the season goes on we’ll definitely pick up. I think the first couple of games are kind of slower … but I think that we’re going to be right up there as well, the numbers like last year.”

The main point of emphasis for eight-year head coach Rick Khuelwein right now is serve receive, as that can translate to a more versatile Warrior offense.

“People have float serves, so those are harder to receive,” Dunham stated. “And so we spend, I mean, we’ve spent like an hour at practice just serve receiving. If we’re passing well, it’s great for our offense and just really brings everything together.”

Coach Khuelwein and the girls know that improving serve receive will unlock a new level for the Warriors, as a higher efficiency there will ultimately result in a higher team kill rate.

“It used to be called more pass-set-hit, but now it’s pass-set-kill as in like, do whatever you need as a hitter to get the point. But I just think that we’re working well together,” added captain Ana Bjorklund. “Coach K really wants us to hit it over, instead of like a free ball, which is obviously harder to receive, so that’s what he’s focusing on.”

Brainerd girls’ volleyball will look to string together their second straight win tomorrow night as they host St. Cloud Tech.