kinds of shots? There are a va- riety of things we can use. “We want to be aggressive. But we also want to be smart.” And, sometimes, the best of- fense is a great defense. As im- portant as showcasing power is, being able to frustrate the oppo- nents is equally important. Bloem thinks Gilbert’s defense can and will be a strength this fall. Kruckenberg and Thomp- son were brick walls from the back row at times a season ago, translating into a combined 469 digs. Kruckenberg led the way with 262 and Thompson was on her heels with 207. And don’t forget about Saltz- man, the team’s most versatile talent. She can set. She can hit. And, yes, she can play plenty of defense, proven by the 154 digs she collected last fall. “Our defense has to be very good,” Bloem said. “Getting stops can help swing the mo- mentum, and being able to pick up balls that you shouldn’t be able to can really make things more challenging for the other team.” Kruckenberg and Thompson have a knack for playing off each other. They feed off the energy of the other and they root for the other to succeed. Chemistry — they’ve got it.
“They work so well together,”Bloem said. “Their energy, we’re looking for that to be part of our identity and strength again. They push each other in a good way, but then they can also bring other girls along and help them. No matter who we have in that back row, they are leaders and they are wanting success for anyone on the team.” If the team has a quarterback, it’s Saltzman. The senior piled up 222 assists and 31 kills last season to go along with all of those digs. She’ll share the set- ting duties with Katie Sniezek, which will free her up to contrib- ute in other ways. “This year she’ll be a more confident leader and someone who can take charge on the court,” Bloem said of Saltzman. “She is like a driving force, so I’m excited for her to really step into that role.” Consistency will be one of those must-haves if the Tigers want to build on what they ac- complished a year ago. At times in 2023, Bloem’s team showed it can compete with the best of the best in the conference. But Bloem says it has to be nightly and on each and every point. “I think we’ve already seen some growth and maturity with that,” she said. “We do have those really high highs, but not staying on that lower swing for a long time is going to be impor-
(195) and ADM’s London War- muth (195) also pushed close to 200 kills. Carlisle also brings back setter Abby Barry, who dished out 623 assists last fall, and front row defensive ace Ava Chanthavong and her 66 blocks. Defensively in the back row, ADM’s Madi James piled up 377 digs. Did some of the RRC teams graduate talented players? Of course. But there is also plenty of quality players returning. “Our conference is really tough and will be competitive again,” Bloem said. “One of the goals we have this year is to compete a little bit better against those schools.” But Bloem isn’t sitting up at night pouring over scouting re- ports. Not yet anyway. For now, she’ll concentrate on her team as she attempts to push the right buttons to make the Tigers competitive on a nightly basis. “My focus is mostly on our side of the court, trying to con- trol the controllables,” Bloem said. One thing Bloem knows for sure is her team will bring the energy. And with that comes the fun. A whole lot of fun.
tant for us.” Gilbert’s schedule includes its usual conference slate, as well as a few weekend tournaments and non-conference matches with Mason City, Roland-Story, Newton, Oskaloosa, and South- east Warren. ADM won the conference crown and reached the Class 4A state tournament in 2023, and the Tigers won’t be going anywhere when it comes to challenging for the hardware again. North Polk collected a league-best 29 victories a sea- son ago and finished second in the hierarchy. Ballard and Car- lisle were right on their heels as well. Carlisle returns a pair of tal- ented hitters in AshleeKay Christensen (283 kills in 2023) and Sydney Light (253 kills). North Polk’s Becca Asgard
36 GAME ON | FALL 2024
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