Team: West Point-Beemer
Mascot: Cadets
Colors: Red and White
Class: C-1
Head Coach: Monica Wiehn (1st season)
2015 record: 15-14
Returning Starters: 3
Overview:
The West Point-Beemer Cadets are under new leadership as Monica Wiehn takes over for Bill Frank. Wiehn comes from Ainsworth, where she spent time as an assistant and Head Coach.
Three starters return for Coach Wiehn, and they are Bethany Anderson (Sr., 5'11, MH), Makenna Weddle (Jr., 5'5, OH/S), and Lizbeth Inzunza (Jr., 5'5, Libero).
Here is West Point-Beemer's projected starting lineup:
Bethany Anderson (Sr., 5'11, MH)
Brittney Hinkel (Jr., 5'7, MH)
Lizbeth Inzunza (Jr., 5'5, Libero)
Leigh Jahnke (Jr., 5'5, OH)
Nicole Mitzel (Jr., 5'7, S/H)
Katie Pilakowski (Jr., 5'7, S/H)
Makenna Weddle (Jr., 5'5, OH/S)
Wiehn feels there are a number of newcomers that could make an impact, and they are Katie Pilakowski, Brittney Hinkel, Leigh Jahnke and Nicole Mitzel.
The Cadets will have to overcome the loss of a couple of standout players in Amanda Hansen and Taylor Weddle.
West Point-Beemer has hovered around the .500 mark the last two seasons. Wiehn says her team has to be tough and aggressive to get over the hump this year. "Hard work in practice, communication and enthusiasm. We need to play our side of the court and play aggressive volleyball. Strong net play, aggressive/strategic serving along with mental toughness."
One thing teams can control is their effort, and West Point-Beemer has to play with tremendous pride, passion, and toughness to be good and competitive this year, in my opinion.
I think there's a lot of potential in this team, it's just going to be a matter of how bad they want it and how hard they are willing to work.
It's always hard to know how things are going to go in a coach's first year, but I think the Cadets can win this year and compete in their sub district.
West Point-Beemer has had some success the last couple of years, and would no doubt love to build on the positives that came out of 2014 and 2015.
There's a lot for the Cadets to build on, and things to look back on that can make West Point-Beemer a strong and competitive team this season.
The Cadets just have to want it more than their opponent, and must be committed to excellence and building a winning foundation and tradition for years to come.
Season Outlook:
West Point-Beemer appears to have many winnable matches on the schedule this year, but a lot of difficult matchups as well.
The Cadets open up the season on Tuesday, September 6th at home against Wisner-Pilger.
Other tough matches on the schedule include contests against Tekamah-Herman, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, North Bend Central, Arlington, Wayne, Oakland-Craig, Stanton, Boone Central/Newman Grove, and Howells-Dodge.
West Point-Beemer certainly has their work cut out for them, but in order to be the best you have to beat the best, and the Cadets will no doubt have that on their minds as they approach those difficult matches.
Wiehn says this team's attitude and willingness to improve has been really good. "It's a new team with little varsity experience, but they have a lot of enthusiasm and strong work ethic. The girls have spent a lot of the off season in the weight room and conditioning as well as involvement in team/individual camps. Our student athletes have been putting in strong practices working on fundamentals and are eager to try new things in preparation for their first game."
Success always starts in the offseason with the weight room and camps, and West Point-Beemer appears to be doing the right things to become a better than average team.
Wiehn lays out this season's expectations. "It's a tough conference, but we look to be very competitive within each match. The girls have high expectations of themselves and their teammates and are intending on having a winning record."
I look for the Cadets to grow and improve as the season progresses. I think you will see West Point-Beemer playing their best volleyball at the end of the regular season.
The Cadets are in Sub District C1-6 with the likes of North Bend Central, Tekamah-Herman, Logan View, and Winnebago.
North Bend Central figures to be tough, but we'll see where West Point-Beemer stands at the end of the regular season.
2016 West Point-Beemer Cadets Volleyball Schedule:
09/06/16 Wisner-Pilger
09/08/16 Twin River Triangular (host: Twin River)
09/08/16 Schuyler Triangular (host: Twin River)
09/13/16 @ Tekamah-Herman
09/15/16 Madison
09/17-09/17 (To Be Determined) Stanton Tournament (1-Day Tournament, >4 Teams) Stanton
09/20/16 Logan View Triangular (host: West Point-Beemer)
09/20/16 Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Triangular (host: West Point-Beemer)
09/22/16 North Bend Central
09/27/16 Arlington Triangular (host: Wayne)
09/27/16 Wayne Triangular (host: Wayne)
09/29/16 @ Norfolk Catholic
10/04/16 Douglas County West Triangular (host: West Point-Beemer)
10/04/16 Oakland-Craig Triangular (host: West Point-Beemer)
10/08-10/08 (To Be Determined) Wisner-Pilger Invite (1-Day Tournament, >4 Teams) Wisner
10/11/16 Stanton Triangular (host: Scribner-Snyder)
10/11/16 Scribner-Snyder Triangular (host: Scribner-Snyder)
10/13-10/15 (To Be Determined) East Husker Conference (2/3-Day Tournament) Wisner
10/18/16 @ Boone Central/Newman Grove
10/25/16 Pender Triangular (host: West Point-Beemer)
10/25/16 Howells-Dodge Triangular (host: West Point-Beemer)
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