March 28, 2024

CMB netters ready to take big step forward

MAXWELL — There is a quiet confidence in Collins-Maxwell/Baxter volleyball coach Scott Ranck’s voice this preseason.

For the first time in his five years at the helm of the Raider program, he has four players with at least three years of varsity experience and a plethora of depth that will give him plenty of options to throw at the best team’s in the Heart of Iowa Conference.

Bridget Hurley and Payge Jurgens return for their senior seasons after leading the Raiders in kills as juniors, Kathleen Baldwin is back as the full-time setter and Toni Spencer and Sailor Hinegardner give the Raiders plenty of quickness along the back row.

Ranck is unsure how the season is going to shake out, but the now veteran CMB coach could have his best team in five years as head coach.

“We have more depth this year than in the past. That is one of the strengths of this year’s team,” Ranck said. “It’s a good problem to have. It’s exciting. There will be some decisions to make. If something doesn’t work out or if someone gets injured, we have more options this year.

“We have a lot of things that are starting to line up in our favor right now.”

Jurgens led the squad with 135 kills and 30 blocks last year.

Hurley wasn’t too far behind with 117 kills but she also was second in digs with 216 and third in aces with 17.

“They both have a sense of urgency because it’s their senior years,” Ranck said. “Payge has been very consistent and Bridget is exploding off her jumps. Her passing has improved, too.”

Hurley begins her fourth year on varsity, and Jurgens starts her third full season of varsity action. They’ll get some help at the net from sophomore Brianda Bane, junior Mikayla Eslinger, junior Bekah Pearson and freshman Jordynn Wesselink.

That group will try to make up for the losses of graduated seniors Abbey Appelgate (76 kills, 216 digs), Alex Hlavacek (40 kills, 42 aces) and Maddy Poage (61 digs, 19 aces, 48 kills).

Pearson begins her third varsity season.

Ranck expects Wesselink to make a major impact in her first season. Bane and Eslinger give CMB an athletic presence at the net, but Eslinger is working through an ankle injury.

“We can play her about anywhere,” Ranck said of Wesselink. “She’ll be very good. She played some AAU and had a really strong summer. She opened some eyes at our Simpson College team camp. She’ll be one of the newcomers that really jumps out.

“And I don’t think Brianda knows how athletic she is. She went way above the net in practice the other day. I couldn’t believe it.”

Baldwin took over as the full-time setter midway through the season and she finished with a team-high 184 assists and had 68 digs.

“She takes control out there. She gets everyone going. Her enthusiasm is something the team feeds off of,” Ranck said. “We kind of took off last year when we put her at setter. Hopefully that trend continues.”

Spencer and Hinegardner will take over for the graduated MacKenzie Schmitz, who served as the libero after Baldwin was moved to setter.

Spencer is in third year as a varsity player and was third in digs last year with 176.

“They are both so good and so quick,” Ranck said of Spencer and Hinegardner. “I might switch them back and forth. I think we are going to be very quick on the back row.”

After claiming a winning record in 2013, the Raiders fell back to 10-13 last year, but that might have had more to do with the tough competition they faced in the HOIC.

And things won’t get any easier in 2015.

Nevada brings back its top five hitters from a team that finished 9-0 in the conference, 38-10 overall and reached the semifinals of the 3A state tournament.

“They are the hands down favorite,” said Ranck of Nevada. “Who is No. 2? I have no idea. There are some other good teams coming back, too. Some of the good teams from last year lost players to graduation and lost coaches. I think it’s up for grabs. It’s anybody’s ball game for second.”

One change this year will be that CMB will be in 3A when the postseason rolls around. The Raiders also are the third smallest 3A school.

But it also was the second straight season that an assistant coach left the program in the offseason as Krystal Ehn took over the Prairie City-Monroe volleyball program.

Ranck is hoping for a faster start than last season.

“We can’t wait to get going this year. You want to peak at the end of the year, but you want to get off to a good start, too,” Ranck said. “We have talked a lot about that.”

CMB’s varsity plays five home games between Maxwell and Baxter.

The season opener is at Baxter against Saydel on Monday. The Raiders head to Lynnville-Sully on Tuesday.