The 2011 Littlefork-Big Falls volleyball team will look familiar from last season with no graduation losses, though the head coach is new this year.
Sarah Bradley, whose post-high school volleyball experience includes having played on the women’s team at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, takes over as head coach from Kim Wimmer, who led the Vikings in 2010 to an 8-16 record, a third-place finish at the Bigfork tournament and a first-round playoff victory against Hill City.
Bradley’s list of top returning players includes senior setter Paige DeLack, an all-conference player in 2010, two outside hitters, sophomore Brooke Millerbernd and junior Courtney Pfeifer, and a right-side hitter, junior Chelsey Ziemba.
Having the same team as last year is what Bradley believes is a strength in the 2011 season, for which she said the players have a “strong work ethic and coachability among the entire team.”
“They have been playing together a long time,” said Bradley, who also noted L-BF has a “very close team who likes being around each other.”
On the down side, however, she said the varsity team is young with only one senior, two juniors, six sophomores and an eighth-grader.
Bradley said the team’s goals this season include beating local rival International Falls, which plays the Vikings on Sept. 1 in the L-BF High School gym, winning the Bigfork tournament on Oct. 8 and advancing to the state tournament.
“The Falls will always be a big exciting game, and Cook/Orr is looking to be a big conference matchup,” she said.
Bradley said the Vikings are looking forward to the Oct. 1 tournament in Pierz, as well as “improving and progressing throughout the season.”
