Tiger volleyball opens season October 8 against SESM
With the fall volleyball season delayed due to COVID-19, the Springfield Tiger volleyball team opened their season against Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s last Thursday, October 8. The team began practices September 28. There are many returning athletes along with some talented underclassmen on the squad this season. The Tigers had a 14-15 overall record and 3-5 Tomahawk Conference record (6th out of 9) last season. Head Coach Tiffany Pierson is looking forward to a good season. “We are returning quite a bit of experience to our program along with talented underclassmen,” she stated.
Pierson is assisted by Amanda McMullen (junior varsity) and Darcy Hoyt (C-squad). The coaching staff sees Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s and Springfield to be the top teams in the Tomahawk Conference this season, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown and St. Clair in Sub-Section 2A South and Mayer Lutheran, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown and BOLD in Section 2A. Pierson’s goal for her team is “to be one of the most aggressive and competitive teams in the conference. Keys to a successful season for us will be playing tough defense, passing the ball effectively and serving aggressively.”
Returning letter winners are Cylee Graff, Anna Mattson, Ashlyn Rosenau, Iliana Tempel, Courtney Wendt, Tori Roiger and Maddy Digmann. Tempel, Wendt and Digmann are the 2020 captains.
Returning key players are Senior Cylee Graff (Outside Hitter), Senior Anna Mattson (Outside Hitter), Senior Courtney Wendt (Middle Hitter) and Sophomore Maddy Digmann (Defensive Specialist). Coach Pierson sees Senior Iliana Tempel and Sophomore Brooklyn Sturm as two players to watch step up and make a big impact for the Tigers this season.
The volleyball program is returning quite a bit of experience, which is an advantageous team strength. Pierson commented, “I foresee this team using their youthfulness and experience to their advantage and playing each point with all out heart. I believe this team will be quick and scrappy. We will be strong defensively, too.”
A team weakness is the lack of height. The Tiger squad is a shorter team but the coaches are working on being more competitive and quicker than the competition.