Pequot Lakes Girls’ Volleyball 15-4 Under New Head Coach Jenna Anderson

Pequot lakes volleyball is imposing its will on the court early and often in 2025. With new head coach Jenna Anderson now at the helm, the Patriots are 15-4 on the season and are currently ranked 5th in Class AA, according to the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association.

Following the retirement of former head coach Chris Ganley—who helped lead Pequot Lakes volleyball to three state tournament appearances and a Class AA state title in 2023—the Patriots looked in-house for her successor.

“It was a pretty easy transition,” Anderson said. “I’ve known these girls, most of them, since they were third grade. So, I coached a lot of them through community [education.]”

“It’s nice because we have some of the same rituals for pregame practices and stuff,” said senior setter and right side hitter Alexa Pietig, “but we also have new things, which I think have really helped [for] not only the team bond but also the chemistry within us.”

Anderson inherited quite the roster, having two players from the 2023 state champion roster in Pietig and outside hitter June Ruud.

“Definitely getting that exposure of playing at state has helped us with the team and the younger players,” Ruud stated, “getting ready for that experience and what will face in playoffs, in section finals, and hopefully at state.”

Anderson is running a 6-2 offense with Pietig and senior Presley Crawford serving as the setters, which calls for ironclad chemistry between them and the front court.

“In practice, we work a lot of setter-hitter and trying to find that connection of trying to find what sets we want at certain times in rotations,” Ruud explained.

“I think our hitters are doing a great job at connecting with both of our setters,” said Anderson. “I think our setters are doing a great job at distributing the ball so we can unpredictable a little bit.”

In addition to running an efficient offense and producing aggressive hits, Anderson and the Patriots view defense as the main focus. With plenty of tough competition within Section 6AA—including Albany and Sauk Centre, both ranked in Class AA’s top 10—staying stingy on the defensive end could play a pivotal role in capturing the program’s fifth trip to the state tournament.

“You need defense to be able to play the game, so that is our main focus,” Crawford emphasized. “It just makes everyone all-around better.”

“The biggest part is getting that to go through every game now and making that consistent,” Pietig added. “It would be huge for our section run, hopefully going to state.”

The Patriots have two more tournaments and four more match-ups in the regular season, including another meeting with Class AA’s second ranked team Albany.