By: Siri David & Sophia Elmstrom

On Thursday 9/5 the Highland Park Scottie’s took on the Central Minutemen at Central High School taking them to four sets out of five. This is one of the biggest volleyball games of the season for Highland and Central because of the huge rivalry against the two schools. Although a lot of these players may be friends with each other outside of volleyball, when you step on the court it’s all about winning.

Lots of students from both schools showed up to these games and everyone was very excited about the game. The Highland student section was louder than Central’s during the whole game, even though it was at Central’s home. The theme for Highland’s student section was white out and the theme for Central’s student section was black out. Almost everyone showed up on theme and showed school spirit while cheering for varsity Highland Volleyball.

Highland plays Central twice in the school season. We play Central again at the end of September and that is the conference match. That match is a lot more important and really helps decide who wins the conference.

For our B-Squad there were 2 sets in total with a very tough loss to the Central Minutemen. Each set was very close and Highland put up a very strong fight against the Central B-Squad. Highland’s B-Squad head coach is Emily Aune and their assistant coach is Grace Blumer-Lamotte who are both Highland alumni.

The B-Squad this year is very packed and has about 18 players on the team; many of the players on B-Squad are freshmen. The B-Squad team is filled with a ton of caring, strong, and athletic players. They all have been working so hard this season to become better volleyball players, and you can already see so much improvement.

JV won in an easy two sets and unfortunately was our only Highland team to win against our rival Central. The game was somewhat close the whole time. The JV and B-Squad teams only can play up to a maximum of three sets, the first two sets end by whichever team reaches 25 points first (win by two) and the third set only goes to 15 which is also win by two.

JV has two captains for the team this season, Jamariah Fisher (middle blocker) who is a 12th grader and Siri David (outside hitter) who is a 10th grader. There are thirteen players on JV, and the head coach is Hannah Wolfy. When all playing together our JV team this year is a very strong team and are great at communicating with each other.

Our Varsity team also had a very tough loss against the Central Varsity team. It was a pretty tight game the whole time leaving all of the student section on our toes. They went to four sets, as we said before, and the game kept going back and forth for Highland. Unfortunately, we ended up losing, luckily it is not a conference game so we can always win the next one.

Although Highland lost, they played very well and got lots of kills against Central. The referees were also very bad for this game, they kept calling people touching the net when it was obvious the players were not. Even the Central head coach had realized that these referees were being unfair to Highland but thankfully both coaches reported him.

So far in the 2024 season, Varsity is looking very good, they have great blockers and good defense. There are no freshmen on Varsity this year, but there are 2 sophomores, Juliet Kottke (outside hitter) and Sasha Deans (middle blocker). Their head coach is Sonje Odegard and assistant coach is Queen E. The Highland Varsity captains are Ella Sutherland (outside hitter), Mary Koch (middle hitter), and Lauren Kottke (libero); they are all seniors this year. There are 14 players on Varsity this year with 3 swings, Ruth Mckoskey who is a sophomore (setter/DS), Siri David is a sophomore as well, and Jamariah Fisher who is a senior this year.

This team is truly very special and we’re sure they are going to have an amazing rest of the season!

By: Hyde Moua

As of May 2nd, 2024, these are the top 3 men’s volleyball national teams. Currently Poland holds the number one spot for 2024 with 421.14 points, beating the number 2 spot by 30.23 points.

Poland’s Men’s National Volleyball Team continued to show their formidable talent on stage. Led by Bartosz Kurek, Michał Kubiak, and Łukasz Żygadło who have been playing for Poland since 2005-2008. Emerging stars Wilfredo León, Kamil Semeniuk, and Jakub Kochanowski have been playing for Poland since 2019-2022, and have displayed exceptional teamwork and skillful play throughout the season. With their powerful serves, precise blocks, and dynamic attacks they secured victories against top-ranked opponents, securing their status as contenders for major titles. Their relentless training and determination has brought them to success, earning fans worldwide. As they continue to raise the bar in the sport, Poland’s men’s volleyball team has remained a force not to be underestimated.

In the number two spot of 2024 is USA with 390.91 points. USA Men’s National Volleyball team is known for its athleticism and competitive spirit on the stage. Having a team of seasoned veterans and newcomers, the team shows strength, agility, and strategy. They consistently demonstrate exceptional skill in serving, blocking, and attacking, earning respect from opponents worldwide. With a strong focus on teamwork and determination, they have achieved victories in prestigious tournaments such as the Olympics, and World Championships. The USA Men’s Volleyball Team continues to inspire audiences with their passion and dedication to succeed.

In the number three spot of 2024 is Italy with 342.43 points. Italy’s Men’s National Volleyball Team has a rich legacy of success and excellence in the sport. With a blend of old and new talents, the team shows remarkable skill and tactical abilities on the international stage. Led by excellent coaches, they show precision in every aspect of the game, from powerful serves to strategic blocks. With strong teamwork and discipline, they challenge top-ranked opponents, gaining admiration from fans worldwide. Their dedication to the sport and pursuit of victory has secured Italy’s position as an excellent contender in many tournaments.

In my opinion, I think all of these teams are amazing and they all have proved it to the world already. There are many up and coming top teams that I am sure will impress us and I can’t wait to see how well they will compete in future competitions and tournaments.