Muskie spikers come of age for this season

After a season of growing pains, the Muskie girls’ volleyball program appears poised for success.
Both teams return predominantly veteran lineups this season which, according to coaches Jeff Rajala (juniors) and Duane Roen (seniors), should help the Muskies tremendously in their quest for a NorWOSSA title.
Here’s a preview of what fans can expect to see when the Muskies open league play this coming Tuesday (Dec. 5) against the visiting Kenora Broncos.
The action gets underway at 3:30 p.m. at Fort High.
< *c>Juniors
The junior Muskie spikers won just one game last season. However, the black-and-gold made the most of their lone victory as it came at the expense of the Kenora Broncos in the NorWOSSA semi-finals.
The Muskies ultimately lost to the Dryden Eagles in the league championship game, but head coach Jeff Rajala is hoping the experience his team gained during their playoff run a year ago will result in a higher win total this season.
“I’m encouraged by this team,” Rajala said after practice Monday night.
“I was excited last year because I saw a lot of potential,” he added. “I think a lot of that potential has panned out with the players that have returned.
“People who were hitting last season are hitting better this season.
“I’ve seen some great improvements from my returning players,” noted Rajala. “Some of them had good seasons last year and they are better now than they were last season, so that’s really encouraging.”
Unlike a season ago when most of the players were rookies, Rajala has nine veterans who are familiar with the team’s system of play and who already possess a strong skill set.
The presence of the veterans has meant the Muskie coach can focus his attention primarily on the new members of the team.
“The big thing will be to bring the Grade 9s and the new Grade 10s along as quickly as possible,” Rajala said of his most pressing task this pre-season.
“The first part of the season there’s going to be a steep learning curve for some of the players, but I have enough girls to help move them along.
“My focus, essentially, is to get this team playing well together, knowing the system, and being as confident as possible.”
Among the veterans, Rajala will be counting on a trio of players, in particular, to provide leadership and steady play.
“Last year Emma Elliott was the captain and she’s one to watch always,” he said.
“Lauren Miller has been looking really good since the start of practice,” he added. “Lauren Gurski was MVP of this team last year and I think she could continue in that role.
“She’s definitely a force to be reckoned with out there.”
The fact the Muskies are a primarily veteran team should not, however, overshadow the quality of this year’s rookie crop. Led by Sian Donald, Rajala is confident the squad’s newest members will play an important role over the course of the season.
“It’s going to be a good season,” Rajala predicted.
“I think we’ll see more success this season than we did last season,” he added. “We will fare well against Kenora. They are a good team and we match up well against them.”
But the Muskie coach did caution fans not to award NorWOSSA gold to Fort High quite yet.
“Unfortunately, we face a team like Dryden, which is a powerhouse right now,” Rajala said. “I don’t think they lost a game all season last year.”
The junior Muskie girls’ are hosting a pre-season tournament this weekend (Dec. 1-2) as a final preparation before the start of the NorWOSSA season next week.
Game times were not available as of press time.
< *c>Seniors
The senior Muskie spikers are looking to build on the success they enjoyed a year ago.
Last year’s team, comprised mainly of rookies, posted a 3-5 record in league play and earned a berth at the all-Ontarios courtesy of their victory over the Kenora Broncos in the NorWOSSA semi-finals (league champion Dryden had an automatic berth as OFSAA hosts).
“We went to OFSAA with the idea to give everybody some time to play and to try and be as competitive as we could,” head coach Duane Roen said of the experience.
“We had some games we definitely should have won, but it didn’t turn out our way,” he added. “As far as the competitive nature, though, we were right up there with the rest of the teams [at OFSAA].
“I think the kids were surprised to see how close they were to the rest of the province.”
With nine players from last year’s team returning this season, Roen is optimistic his squad will continue to evolve and enjoy success.
“What’s nice this year is that we’re starting where we left off,” he said. “Last year we spent a lot of time working on our defence and we didn’t spend a lot of time on many offensive plays.
“So this year, hopefully, if our defence holds up and we don’t have to spend a lot of time there, we’re going to add in a few new plays and try to make the game a little more exciting for the kids.”
Roen has the luxury of a balanced squad featuring both power and finesse players—a fact he hopes will allow him to implement an unorthodox style of attack.
“If the system I would like to run works, they’re going to be hitting out of all areas,” he remarked. “They’re going to be coming from all directions, and there’ll be fakes and there’ll be all sorts of plays.”
The senior Muskies will have numerous chances to work out the kinks in the new offence as they are competing in tournaments every weekend in December leading up to the Christmas break.
Roen believes the increased playing time will translate into more wins on the court.
“My hopes are high this year,” he said. “I’m hoping for some well-played games and I’m hoping the kids are in-sync and our offensive plays turn out the way I want them to be.
“If it does, I think we’ll have a great season. If not, we’ll see.
“I would like to be going to OFSAA, that’s my goal,” Roen said, before pausing before adding, “That’s always my goal, but I think these kids can do it.”
The senior Muskies are in Thunder Bay today to compete in a three-day tournament at Lakehead University, which will act as a final preparation before the start of the NorWOSSA season here next week.