T here’s an energy in and surrounding volleyball that is unlike any other sport. Nearly every point won is treated like it’s the game-win- ning touchdown in the Super Bowl. Oh sure, a thunderous kill or an in-your-face block bring out the emotions more than a simple error from the other side of the net, but every point is celebrated. Every. Single. Point. Why is that? Gilbert head volleyball coach MacKenzie Bloem chuckles when she’s asked the question. It’s a unique and entertaining aspect of her sport of choice, and her team fully embraces the tradition. Junior defensive specialist Lila Kruckenberg celebrates mightily, much to the delight of the Tigers’ crowd. Senior defen- sive specialist Abigail Thomp- son is equally emphatic, possibly even more so when she dips into a crouch, throws up her fists, pushes her head and shoulders back, and lets out a scream.
And then there’s senior setter and hitter Anna Saltzman. She’s not necessarily as animated on all of the points as her team- mates, but when she lets loose every so often ... well, she’s the winner of the grand prize. It’s fun. It really is. And isn’t that the point of sports? “Volleyball is such a game of momentum and having control of the court,” Bloem said. “That’s where that competitive- ness and positive energy comes into play on every ball because every ball is worth something. Hopefully we can harness it in the best way and really have some fun with it throughout the season.” Entering her ninth season overall with the program and second in a leading role, Bloem is more at ease with her spot at the head of the bench. She has a better grasp on what to ex- pect. She’s more knowledge- able. She understands the voices of her players are impor- tant and she intends to bring them more into the fold through- out the fall campaign.
“This year I feel like I’m just more aware of things, and a big change from year one to year two is giving our athletes more leadership opportunities and being more open to what they want to see in the program,” she said. “Seeing where they would like things to go and where I would like things to go, and getting those things to- gether.” Adversity was something the Tigers dealt with on a daily basis a season ago. Injuries, in- juries, and more injuries played a role even before the season began when Bloem dealt with a leg ailment that kept her in a walking boot. They spread like wildfire; there was a season- ending injury and other multiple injuries that kept key contrib- utors as spectators on the bench in street clothes. Bloem is hopeful that was karma’s way of hazing her as a first-year coach because stay- ing healthy will be paramount to the success of the team during the 2024 season. “I like to have things planned out, so, with so many injuries,
clearly things didn’t quite go ac- cording to plan all of the time,” Bloem said. “But it pushed us to be flexible and we had to have girls play out of position at times. But this year we know we can play different lineups and do different things because we did it before.” Gilbert fought through the constant lineup shuffling to post a 12-19 overall record and a 2-6 mark in the Raccoon River Con- ference, which shared sixth place, a season ago. The Tigers’ ultimate goal is to con- tinue to climb that ladder; easier said than done in the always difficult league landscape. Bloem has a plethora of re- turning talents at her disposal and she plans to use them all. Six players — Saltzman, Kruck- enberg, Thompson, Olivia Tim- mermans, Bergen Roske, and Emma Latterell — all saw time in the staring lineup and they give the Tigers a solid blend to get off and running. “This is a group that really wants to reach some goals and kind of leave a mark on the pro- gram,” Bloem said.
34 GAME ON | FALL 2024
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