WESTBROOK – The Westbrook-Walnut Grove volleyball team had great success last year and expects to continue that success this season.

The Chargers finished 23-5 last year, a mark they hadn’t reached in nearly a decade.

They barely made it to Marshall for the Section 3A South championship, but their season narrowly ended in an epic five-set match against Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda.

There is optimism and expectation that the Chargers will find similar success again, but they will try to do so without key players who graduated last year, such as libero Abby Wiggins and setter Addeson Jenniges.

Due to the loss of some experience and leadership, Chargers head coach Meghann Westover said the practice dynamic has been different, but things have gone well so far.

“This year there’s a little bit of a different dynamic than in years past, so we’re just working through it,” Westover said. “But it’s been really good, the attitude and effort has been really good.”

This is mainly because a handful of experienced players have returned to the team this year.

Other players on the team include a group of seniors in middle attacker Riley Parker, middle attacker/right wing Faith Marsh and libero Liv Locke. There’s also big junior middle blocker Leah Carter and the powerful outside attacker duo of senior Natalie Wahl and junior Carlie Ross.

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Wahl enters her senior year having reached new heights in many areas during her junior season. She was a strong front-row player, recording 354 kills last year, and also showed versatility with over 300 digs and a 94% serve rate, earning her All-Red Rock Conference honors.

Wahl said her biggest improvement over the last year has been her defense. She has also emerged as a leader and is taking on more of a coaching role on the team.

“I love helping the girls with anything, if they need help or have a question, I just love helping them, especially because I feel like I know a lot about volleyball and I just want to make them better people and better volleyball players,” Wahl said.

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The setter position will be filled by the sophomore duo of Hadley Jenniges, Addeson’s younger sister, and Myah Mazino. Westover said the team will try to run a 6-2 rotation between the two players.

Integrating Jenniges and Mazino into those roles was a major practice focus for the Chargers, as Westover wanted them to build a strong setter-hitter connection. Westover has liked the new connection in the first few practices, but there is still room for improvement. Team chemistry has also been good so far, but that too could continue to improve.

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“We’re just developing from our strengths. We know our outside attackers are strong and we obviously plan to use them,” Westover said. “But for the first time in a long time we have some size. Our girls are a little bigger, not tall, but bigger than they were, so I’m hoping our girls block better this season, which will help our defense as well.”

“I think one thing we still need to work on a little bit is our chemistry, because we have a few new players,” Wahl said. “And the chemistry with our setters just makes hitting better, and the chemistry all around is just better.”

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Westover, Wahl and the rest of the Chargers’ experienced players and coaches, who built on last season’s success, are looking to build on the winning streak and keep the momentum going this year.

“The team has already set some lofty goals,” Westover said. “You know, they got a taste, almost a taste of Marshall last year, and that’s their goal. They want to put that behind them, they want to get past the second round of the (sectional) playoffs. They want to be as successful as they were last year. I still think we can finish in the top three in the conference. Yes, I mean lofty goals, but also a great work ethic.”

Skyler Jackson joined the Globe in July 2023 as a news and sports reporter. Born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa, Skyler attended South Dakota State University and graduated with a degree in journalism in 2023. After graduating from college, he decided to settle in Worthington for his current job at the Globe.