“Evie has really high expectations for her- self, and she’s just so well in tune with her own abilities and she wants to be that go-to- girl,” Schnormeier said of Christenson, who also collected 210 digs and 50 service aces in 2024, the most of any returning player in the league. “She puts so much time into this sport, and she can change the game with her serves, too,” Sniezek said. “And Evie also brings us an attitude because she doesn’t make ex- cuses for anything. That’s a culture thing you always want to create.” Newton will also work on the outside. She hammered out 183 kills a season ago, the second-most on the team, and she’ll be a big reason why defenses have to play Gilbert honestly and not put all of the defensive atten- tion on Christenson. Roske (70 kills, 24 blocks in 2024) and Winter (76 kills, 21 blocks in 2024) could play pivotal roles in the middle of the floor, and Zeigler (52 kills) will see action on the right side of the floor in the front row. Katie Sniezek will direct traffic as the team’s setter, and she’s no novice when it comes to leading a team. A multiple-time all-state soft- ball player, she distributed 411 assists last fall. “Katie has got some really high goals for herself as well,” Schnormeier said. “She wants to bring that consistency for all of our hitters." Kruckenberg no doubt gives Gilbert one of the league’s premier back row defenders, and the enthusiasm she plays with is also con- tagious. She recorded a team-best 385 digs a season ago and enters her senior season with 647 digs in her career, which puts her on a
path to potentially reach 1,000 by the end of the campaign. Kruckenberg can get in the heads of oppos- ing attackers with her reading ability. And she gives Gilbert a safety blanket, of sorts, in that back row. “In many ways, she’s going to be our cap- tain on defense, as she should be,” Schnor- meier said of Kruckenberg. “She’s such a great passer, but she’s also going to need to be a vocal leader on the court for us to be successful." Which brings us to the big question — what does success look like for the Tigers in 2025? Is it a winning record? Is it a jump up the con- ference standings? Is it competing for a con- ference title? Is it advancing further in the postseason? The co-head coaches both say they aren’t worried about the big picture at the moment. Rather, they’re concentrating on one oppo- nent at a time, one point, one set, and one match at a time. They want to be prepared for each foe, they want to be as strong mentally as they are physically, and they want to feel like they can compete with any team that lines up on the other side of the net. “We’re not going to be looking at records; we’re going to focus more on scouting and what are the strengths and weaknesses of our opponents,” Sniezek said. “That’s the biggest shift for me,” Schnor- meier said. “In middle school and freshman volleyball, I didn’t care wo was on the other side of the net. But we are both competitive people. We like to win. And we can compete in this conference.”
FALL 2025 | GAME ON 41
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