The Northland Pines varsity volleyball team is set to feed off its summer momentum as Merrill summer league champions, where the team lost just a handful of sets, and enter the 2026 season with a strong core of varsity players on the roster.
Everything is looking up this season for the Eagles, including a chance to shoot up the Great Northern Conference standings after a 5-4 finish last year, which was good for fourth place.
Head Coach Julie Smith said she has seen the team and individual commitment so far this season, which started during summer open gyms, training sessions and summer league play and tournaments.
“The summer obviously was a strong core group that showed up every open gym, every skills day, every weight room. And we just had a strong core in the varsity level,” mentioned Smith. Some young girls came along with us as well. We’re very well-rounded defensively and offensively, which is unusual. Usually we’re trying to find an offensive plan of attack or defensive plan of attack. But this year, we’re very well-rounded.”
Smith said the team stands at nine varsity players, which is lower, but her confidence is sky-high when it comes to the returning talent for the Eagles and how the summer went. The team should roster a handful of upperclassmen, including senior six-rotation player Kami Neff, seniors Tatum Fisher and Natalie Kohn, juniors Lexi Maillette, Sophia Kusick and Eden Smith. The Eagles will also have sophomore Payton Sullivan and Alyssa Kevilus on the roster as well. Neff led the team in kills last year with 253, while Kohn and Fisher had over 100 apiece. Five of the Eagles’ top six defensive digs leaders are also back on the court in 2026.
“We have actually more six-rotation players than we ever had, so we’re actually coming in with nine varsity right now to start with,” Smith noted. “With this nine, provided we stay healthy and eligible, we can run. I haven’t had this much confidence because we don’t have this one standout star; we have nine girls that can fill the load.”
Smith did mention that as the year progresses, the coaching staff would potentially look at moving junior-varsity players up to the varsity level.
After a fourth-place finish in the GNC last fall, the Eagles are expected to jump into contention for the regular-season championship this year and are aiming for a top-three finish. Mosinee, who finished with a perfect 10-0 record in conference last year, looks to be a favorite once again.
“As far as the conference goes, I really truly see that we’re going to be in the top three. Mosinee is always super strong. They have a great program,” stated Smith.
Other teams like Medford, Lakeland, Tomahawk and Merrill could be fighting for that top-of-conference positioning as well.
Northland Pines got the season rolling at home this past weekend as it hosted a few teams inside the fieldhouse this past Saturday. The Eagles then traveled to SPASH this past Tuesday for its annual tournament, which hosts teams like Berlin, De Pere, Wisconsin Rapids, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Rhinelander, among others. Pines will then take to Wisconsin Rapids High School this Saturday, Aug. 29, starting at 9 a.m.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here