Long, lean and quick.
Those are the attributes pinned on the 2019 Becker Bulldog volleyball team.
Head Coach Greg Lynch has a varsity squad that is ideal for competing at high levels this volleyball season. Kady Lindbom, Jenna Olson, Jillian Olson and Evelyn Kreft will provide the length while Allie Hill, Tina Gruber, Alyssa Gruenes, Emilie Baumgartner and Lexi Anderson (amongst others) will provide the speed and setups.
Lynch also has Breein Waytashek, Ellie Wenner, Lindsey Fruth and Kyanna Marx to fill in and provide quality play on offense and defense.
“We are going to see great things from Kady Lindbom, one of our outside hitters,” Lynch says. “She is a consistently a big and smart hitter from both the front and back rows. She is also going to be a great blocker for us as well.”
Lynch likes the potetnial of Allie Hill, one of his three captains (along with Gruenes and Jillian Olson), who is going to be effective all around.
“She’s a strong serve-receiver and outside hitter. Her confidence and aggression also make her the leader on the court.”
Lynch is confident he’ll be seeing some great plays out of his “middles” this year.
“Jillian Olson brings a lot of experience and calm confidence to the game and plays smart with her tips and throws,” he said. “Jenna Olson is new to varsity this year, but brings a huge block and a very fast and effective quick middle attack. Finally, our single freshman, Evelyn Kreft brings a huge hit and an effective slide option.”
Kreft is the daughter of new high school principal David Kreft.
In volleyball, size up front can be a big advantage and having hitters that can hit over a shorter block and blockers that can stop or slow a taller players attacks.
“I will say though, as a coach, for as much height as we have on our team, I see our real strength lying in our speed,” Lynch says. “We have a number of very quick players who are able to get to balls and make plays that would never happen with a slower team. As the season progresses, we’ll be working to maximize the quickness of our offense and our digging on defense.”
With the move to the Mississippi 8 Conference for 2019, Lynch expects his team to be competitive with some of the bigger schools.
“I’m expecting North Branch to be a challenge - they’ve finished second in the conference the last couple years against the big teams from Rogers and STMA,” he said.
Lynch’s girls have new uniforms this year and he also has a few new coaches in the system. Reyan Robinson, who coached eighth grade last year, moved to ninth grade, and Megan Hoppe, a former player is back to coach ninth grade with Reyan. Heather Young (née Holien) is back as the JV coach.
“I’m excited to work with these coaches and the positivity and energy they bring to our program,” Lynch said.
A new rule change is taking effect this year where the referees will be calling double touches more frequently.
“They are to allow some leeway in the touches for more athletic, challenging plays,” Lynch says. “They are also instructed to look only at the player’s hands on contact when calling the double touches.”
Lynch says he is glad the league is providing some guidance for refs on this particular rule because of how inconsistently it is enforced from one set of refs to another.
“While many have been good at calling the fault accurately, some don’t call it at all,” he says. “And others constantly. I hope the changes add more consistency across refs as the season progresses.”
One of the tough things for a coach to deal with is when a mistake or disappointment occurs, and how the staff and players handle the situation.
“We have some specific supports within the team to help each other through mistakes and disappointments,” Lynch said. “After each play, we come together in the middle of the court for a quick boost and reminder that no one is alone on the court.”
His girls have adopted their own rule when they reach the huddle. It’s called, “eyes up”.
“So when the team comes together after an error, the player who made the error is not allowed to look down, but has to meet her teammates’ eyes to receive their support,” Head Coach Lynch says.
“I do still enjoy (coaching) and look forward to the season starting,” Lynch says. “The most fulfilling part of coaching for me is watching players grow and change over time. This year’s seniors, I first saw play when they were in sixth grade and have been coaching many of them on various club and school teams since eighth grade and it’s awesome to see how much their skill has increased and their confidence and self-assuredness too.”
At matches, the sets get pretty raucous as many students from other sports and activities take center court to cheer on Lynch’s girls. The gym gets loud, but the team can always use more followers.
“We have some really supportive families and friends, but are always looking for more,” said Lynch. “We’d love to see you at our next home game!”
Becker 3, Rush City 0
Becker hit .228% and beat Rush City Tuesday by 25-17, 25-16 and 25-20 scores.
Kady Lindbom had 13 kills and a .600 hitting %. Ellie Wenner had 15 assists and Allie Hill had five aces, eight kills and eight digs.
Becker 3, Princeton 1
The Bulldogs hosted Princeton Thursday and won in four setsm 15-25, 25-20, 25-23 and 25-15.
No other information was made available to the Citizen-Tribune by press time.
Up Next
The Bulldogs host a seven team tournament Saturday starting at 9 a.m. They then travel to Big Lake Tuesday and finish up the week at home Thursday against Cambridge-Isanti.
