Team: Guardian Angels Central Catholic
Mascot: Bluejays
Colors: Blue and White
Class: D-1
Head Coach: Paul Steuter (1st season)
2016 record: 18-12 (finished 4th at state)
Returning Starters: 4
Overview:
The GACC volleyball team enter this season having qualified for the state tournament the last seven years in a row. That's a tradition first year head coach Paul Steuter hopes to continue. "Goals will remain a lot the same. We expect to compete again this year down at state. We've had a long tradition of doing that. And our conference will be tough again as usual. We play in the Mid-State, and that's a big challenge for us every year since we're one of the smaller schools. We will be the small school in the Mid-State this year, in Class D-1. But we hope to compete well in the Mid-State conference as well."
The Bluejays have qualified for the state volleyball tournament 18 times in school history. .
GACC returns six upperclassmen, including four seniors, as well as four starters from last year's team. Steuter talks about his four seniors. "Our senior outside hitter Riley Throener (5'8, OH SR), she's a returning starter. and I like her, she has a heavy arm. She's also a good passer. Kali Stratman (5'5, S SR)...she has started for about 3 years now at Central Catholic, and she's an excellent setter. Allie Knobbe (5'6 RS SR), is our right side, and she's a very solid right side player, is very versatile on the floor and can do a lot of things for us. The 4th senior is a player who hasn't had any varsity level experience...Bobbi Ortmeier (5'9 M). But I'm looking for big things from her. She could be an impact player for us as well."
With just two juniors, Steuter says the freshmen and sophomore players will have to step up in order to provide some depth.
Ally Plagge ( 5'5, L/OH JR) is another returning starter and letterwinner while Angela Jansen (5'8, OH/RS JR), Brooklyn Bailey (5'9 M/OH SO), and Hanna Knobbe (5'4 L SO) are other possible contributors.
The Bluejays don't appear to have much height, which could be an issue on opening night against North Bend Central, in my opinion.
I'm willing to bet GACC is quick and athletic though, and that figures to help the Bluejays be successful.
GACC needs senior leadership, growth, development, and positivity around the program to have a good season, in my opinion.
The Bluejays must play with confidence, swagger, tenacity, physical and mental toughness, grit, determination, fire, and sacrifice if they want to have a successful season, in my opinion.
GACC has to live up to what past teams have already accomplished, and lay their own mark on this program.
Season Outlook:
GACC will have new leadership when they hit the hardwood for the first time this season. Steuter talks about what fans can expect to see from the Bluejays this season. "I'm hoping to put on the floor a really scrappy team. Defense is the heart of a good team. Being able to withstand momentum swings. I'm looking for grittiness from my players. And hopefully they can find a way to offensively be very balanced. I want a balanced attack this year. We want to push change in tempo on our offense as far as mixing it up to keep the opposing teams off balance. That will be a strength of ours if we can execute change in tempo offense we should be fairly successful this year."
GACC opens the season on August 31 in the Northeast Nebraska Tournament by Pender and Wisner-Pilger.
From my understanding the Bluejays take on Allen and North Bend Central on opening night. I don't see GACC having any trouble with the Eagles, but the Tigers figure to be a very tough opponent.
I feel the North Bend Central match is sort of a preview of the competition the Bluejays are going to face throughout the regular season.
Year in and year out GACC plays the best of the best, and are ready come postseason time because of the difficult schedule they play.
The Bluejays have excellent tradition, and should be just fine. I look for the Bluejays to be in the thick of things come conference tournament, subdistricts and state time.
It might take GACC a little time to get things ironed out, but I look for the Bluejays to have a good season.
The Bluejays won't be very deep though so some young players are going to have to step up in a hurry for GACC to continue their string of dominance.
I think GACC could be a bit up and down or I think they could dominate throughout the course of the season. It just depends how quickly the Bluejays pick things up.
GACC returns a fair amount of last year's team so that should help the Bluejays out tremendously.
GACC's four seniors need to be tremendous leaders on and off the court.
I think it's just as important for the Bluejay players to be leaders through their play as well as their actions.
This team has to have a team first mentality and not be selfish. GACC has to want to come to practice and get better everyday, and build something the West Point Community can be proud of.
There's a lot of potential in this team, in my opinion...it's just a matter of going out there and making things happen and putting things all together.
2017 GACC Bluejays Volleyball Schedule:
08/31-09/02 (To Be Determined) NEN Tournament (2/3-Day Tournament) Wisner/Pender
09/05/17 @ Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family
09/07/17 Boone Central/Newman Grove
09/12/17 Wayne
09/14/17 @ O'Neill
09/19/17 @ Homer
09/21/17 Oakland-Craig Triangular (host: Guardian Angels Central Catholic
09/21/17 Arlington Triangular (host: Guardian Angels Central Catholic
09/26/17 @ Bishop Neumann
09/28/17 @ Hartington Cedar Catholic
10/03/17 @ Battle Creek
10/05/17 Lutheran High Northeast Triangular (host: Guardian Angels Central Catholic)
10/05/17 Wisner-Pilger Triangular (host: Guardian Angels Central Catholi
10/10/17 Pierce
10/12/17 Crofton
10/16/17 Aquinas Catholic
10/17/17 Norfolk Catholic
10/23-10/24 (To Be Determined) Mid State Conference Tournament (2/3-Day Tournament) Norfolk Catholic/Battle Creek
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