Ridgewater warrior volleyball ends season with several successes
The Ridgewater Warrior Volleyball team overcame many hurdles and accomplished a lot in their first season back after COVID restrictions kept the team off the court in 2020. Though the team missed the postseason with a 10–11 and 7–9 record in conference, the young team registered several individual accomplishments and were recognized for their performance by MCAC coaches.
"It's a tough way to end the season but it's gratifying to see so many of our young players be recognized for their performance through the season," said Head Coach Amanda Bohlsen. "They worked hard and defied all odds."
The team overcame several hurdles this year, including losing last season to the COVID-19 pandemic and Coach Bohlsen being hired just three weeks before the season began. Despite that, the team performed well.
"Coming into the program so late without a roster, they were thrown together at the last minute and really surprised some people with our level of talent," said Bohlsen.
The team had seven players recognized on the Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) All-Academic Team. The players are:
- Grace Garoutte
- Haylee Johnson
- Madison Leyendecker
- Coral Mattison
- Halie Nichols
- Adelia Pierson
- Tayler Schmidt
Freshman Tayler Schmidt was recognized for two additional honors; she was named to the MCAC South All-Division Team and to the MCAC Elite Team, recognizing her placement on both the All-Academic and All-Division teams. Schmidt also was ranked among the top 25 players in NJCAA division three volleyball for digs (24th) and digs/set (13th). Other players finishing the season in the top 25 are:
- Freshman Madison Leyendecker (22nd assists per set)
- Sienna Olson (22nd in Solo Blocks and 20th for Blocks/set)
"Nothing I can say even can hold a candle to the work the team put into the season. They earned each and every recognition," said Bohlsen.
Conference opponents Minnesota State Community and Technical College and Central Lakes College both appeared in the national championship, with Minnesota State finishing third and Central Lakes finishing fifth.
"Even though we didn't punch our ticket to regionals, we are all very proud of what we accomplished," said Bohlsen.
The Warrior Volleyball program will return to the court next fall, kicking the season off at the Anoka-Ramsey Crossover Tournament.
"We're working very hard to be nationally competitive [in the 2022-2023 season]," said Bohlsen.