North Star Volleyball is steam rolling into week 3 with seven wins and zero losses while only losing two sets over the seven games. The Gators debuted out west in Kearney and handled the Bearcats with ease in three sets. Some may say the recent success could be contributed from a new and improved coaching staff.  The Gators had a great season last year with first year head coach Jay Kroll, the Gators qualified for the state tournament for the first time in over 10 years. This year the team has different goals. Junior outside hitter Delainey Volkmer said, “We want to prove that we’re not just good enough to go to state but we want to win at state.” The Gators returned eight starters from last season and picked up middle blocker KJ Pinchon, who transferred to North Star from Kansas for her senior year. The Gators lost four seniors last year, the biggest loss being libero, Ivanna Ramos, but sophomore Marie Paneitz is taking on the challenge of be

ing the team’s new libero. Paneitz played in every game last year as the defensive specialist but has her eyes set on a new position this season. When asked about the new role, Paneitz said, “Going into this season I knew I would have to fill the spot of Ivanna. I understood that when someone leaves it’s not about replacing them, but bringing my own strengths to th

e team. I realized that this year I am not just filling shoes but I am stepping up into my new role on this team.” 

The Gators traveled up to Millard West High School for their first tournament of the season and after sweeping the first two teams, they matched up with O’Gorman High School from South Dakota. After dropping the first set, the Gators battled back and took the next two sets with ease, winning the entire tournament, the first time since 2020.

On September 9th, the Gators traveled to Lincoln East High School looking to continue their win streak. The team won the first two sets looking for their sixth sweep of the year, but ultimately dropped the third set to the Spartans in a tight 25-22 battle. The team wasn’t down long, they bounced back and took the fourth set 25-18. The North Star Volleyball team looks to continue their hot start, with starting 7-0 this has been a record breaking start for the North Star Volleyball team.