INA, Ill. (Aug. 18, 2023)—The Rend Lake Warriors volleyball team finished last year’s season with 16 wins, and the team is ready to launch into this season with a competitive spirit.
The team has experience this season. Returning players are outside hitter Chloe Goodwin (Marble Hill, Mo.), libero Aumalie Murdock (Woodlawn), defensive specialist Kinley Milligan (Grayville), setter Abby Hammerburg (Warrenton, Mo.), outside hitter Ella Ruffner (Altamont), and rightside hitter Hailey Edwards (Brookport).
Newcomers include defensive specialist Reagan Oster (Aviston), rightside hitter Kaitlyn Dunning (Goreville), setter Bree Vollman (Norris City), middle hitter Breanna Blades (McCleansboro), outside hitter Kennedy Stults (Jewett), and middle hitter Monique Hart (Metropolis).
When asked what the goal for this season was, Head Coach Reggie Bateman said the most important thing is to get through all the games healthy with no injuries. “I just want my kids to have a good season,” he said. “A competitive season—but health and injury free is the most important.”
There are three captains of the volleyball team this year, decided by Coach Bateman and their peers: Aumalie Murdock, Chloe Goodwin, and Ella Ruffner.
There are six sophomores graduating from the twelve-member team, including the three captains, making this their last season at RLC. He said that the sophomores have proven themselves to be great mentors to the incoming freshman players. They are all valuable members of the team and Coach Bateman commented that it will be hard to replace them.
Coach Bateman is pleased to show that they have a full team this year. He commented that he never wants anyone to sit out on the bench. He said that would only bring the morale of the team down. That’s why they are all rotated out so everyone can spend an equal amount of time on the court. Coach Bateman expressed that all the girls are extremely talented with a wide set of skills that makes them easily interchangeable during games. “We have a good twelve right now,” he said. “I don’t want to mess up the dynamic. This is the end of our second week of practice and things are going well. Chemistry is great, energy is good. We’ll see next week when we have our first tournament.”
The season gets into full swing with weekend tourneys Aug. 19 and 20 against Black Hawk and Waubonsee (8/19) and Ancilla and Olive-Harvey (8/20). The home opener is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30 against Southeastern Illinois.
The ladies will be road Warriors in September with home matches against Southwestern Illinois (9/6), Shawnee (9/22) and Wabash Valley (9/25); and at Lincoln Trail (9/8), Kaskaskia (9/11), John A. Logan (9/13), a tri-match with East Central and Southeastern CC Mo. (9/16), Lake Land (9/20), a tri-match at Illinois Central (9/23), and another with Lewis & Clark and St. Mary of the Woods JV at LCCC (9/30).
October’s packed with home matches against Lincoln Trail (10/2), Kaskaskia (10/9), John A. Logan (10/11), Lake Land (10/16), and Lincoln Land (10/26). The Warriors will head to SWIC (10/4), a tourney with Oakton and Lake Michigan (10/7), the Regional Crossover Tournament at Parkland against Spoon River and College of Lake County (10/14), and Parkland and John Wood (10/15), at Shawnee (10/18), Wabash Valley (10/23), and close the regular season in Harrisburg against Heartland and SIC (10/28).
Coach Bateman spoke confidently about the talents of his team; with this group he believes they can win conference this year. He said, “We’ve come close a couple of years…but with this team I think that we can win it.”