Perhaps no sport had a more disjointed 2020 season than high school volleyball. Saint Agnes coach Connie Kiedrowski remembers that, between COVID and other difficulties, her team never had the same rotation for two straight matches. The final won-loss record meant little because it simply wasn’t a regular season in any way, shape or form.
But there was one plus to 2020 – a plus that has paid off handsomely for the current Aggie contingent. In her scramble to get players last year, opportunity knocked for some young players to see court time. Some of those players – along with a solid group of seniors – have formed a team that gives Kiedrowski reason to hope as the team heads into the final two weeks before sectional play.
The senior tri-captains – Theresa Dierberger, Clarke Moore and Morgan McCann – were always going to see court time. Of this trio, McCann might have the most interesting playing resume, having made the rare jump from being the team’s libero to a solid outside hitter. Junior Maria DiPietro was one of those players who improved greatly because of playing so much in 2020 that the veteran coach decided to expand her regular rotation to 10 players instead of the usual 7-8.
One very unusual aspect of the team is there are two established setters – junior Annika Odenbrett and senior Olivia Damm. “Never had that before. It’s fun to have,” Kiedrowski, a 1984 Aggie alum, said.
At the start of the season, the players decided on a theme of We over Me. Sweatshirts with that phrase were made and the Aggies have used as a base for the season. “Our overall won-loss record is not indicative of how we have played this year,” Kiedrowski said. “As the season, we have improved.”
One thing that has always been a constant at Saint Agnes is a huge number of participants in volleyball. In addition to the 14-player varsity roster, the Aggies have 13 on the JV team and 17 on the freshmen contingent. Both teams have been very competitive this fall, giving hope for future success.
As is the case with football and soccer, volleyball is a short season – barely two months from start to finish. Unlike the other two sports, volleyball records are slightly skewed when teams take part in a tournament. In this case, it was a one-day event at Two Rivers High School that saw the Aggies play just two sets each against six opponents instead of the usual best of five format. The Aggies broke from the gate winning five of their first seven matches in the traditional best of five format before dropping back to a 6-8 overall mark as of September 28.
The home stretch of the schedule sees the Aggies taking on some of the top teams in the Skyline Conference in St. Croix Lutheran, St. Croix Prep and Concordia Academy. That trio of schools is part of the 17 team Section 4AA play that starts shortly thereafter.
Asked for an overall assessment of her team as they enter the stretch run, Kiedrowski said, “We’re making progress. We just have to keep moving forward.”