Orioles set sights on State return in 2025 volleyball season

The Lennox volleyball program enters the 2025 season with confidence, experience, and a clear goal: make it back to the state tournament.

Head coach Vanessa Gabel, now in her fourth year leading the Orioles, brings decades of experience to the court.

“The 2025 season will be my fourth season with the Lennox Orioles,” Gabel said. “My coaching staff and I have been in our current positions for three seasons this fall. I started coaching high school volleyball while playing college volleyball at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1989, and I’ve coached more than 20 years of high school, club, and college volleyball.”

Last fall, Lennox finished with a 19-13 record, bowing out in the final round of the DAK XII playoffs in a tight five-set battle with Dakota Valley, who went on to finish runner-up at state. Despite the loss, the Lady O’s produced plenty of highlights throughout the season. Senior Lilly Meyer went on to continue her career as a defensive specialist at Midland University in Nebraska. Post season reconditions went to Meyer and teammate Ella Grengs who earned All-Conference honors last year along with then-freshman Libby Kranz. The varsity roster also earned the 2024 Team Academic All-State Award for carrying a combined GPA above 3.5.

The Orioles will look different this season after graduating Meyer (libero), Grengs (setter and right side hitter), Ryan Hansen (right side hitter), and Gavyn Herlyn (defensive specialist), but the cupboard is far from bare.

“We return a tremendous hitting squad this season,” Gabel said. “We’ve got athletes with impressive reaches and power to put away sets. I honestly can’t predict which position along the net is going to be most successful. My guess is that the top hitter will vary match to match this year.”

Leading the charge is sophomore outside hitter Libby Kranz, who tallied nearly 300 kills last year as well as being a key passer in the serve receive. During the off-season, Kranz played on a Kairos club team as an outside hitter that finished 13th nationally this summer in the 15s division.

“Even with her being an underclassmen, Libby will be serving as a captain this year contributing her high-level competition/playing under pressure experience,” Gabel said. Kranz was a starter in the team’s trip to the State Tournament in 2023. 

Kranz will be be joined by senior captain Addison Martz, a four-year varsity player moving from middle hitter to the right side. Martz produced nearly 200 kills last season. 

Martz was also a starter on the 2023 State Tournament team and Gabel is excited for her to contribute her aggressive and boisterous spirit to the team. 

Fellow senior Andie Peters returns to the team and will once again be the team’s libero. She has been liber or defensive specialist for three years now and recording more than 200 digs last season. Peters will be the team’s third captain, contributing her positive attitude and aggressive hustle to the team. She was also a starter on the 2023 State Tournament team. 

Senior setter Hannah Adney is also back following a 400-assist campaign last year. 

“She will bring her extensive experience as a setter onto the court to mentor our younger setting crew,” said Gabel. 

Other key returners include junior middle blocker Mallorie Bittner (60 blocks, 100 kills last season), junior outside hitter Rylee Hedin (200 kills last season), and junior Sydney Johnson, who moves up to the varsity roster as a middle blocker. Sophomores Catie Sherard (setter) and Jersie Hostetler (right side hitter) will also step into larger roles this season. 

“Sydney Johnson, Catie Sherard and Jersie Hostetler all play club volleyball and work year round on their volleyball skills,” said Gabel. “Additionally, our JV program is tailored to prepare players to be ready to step onto the varsity court whenever the situation calls for it. Johnson and Sherard have played for Mel for two seasons and Hostetler for one. Johnson will bring her work ethic and middle blocker experience to the net. Sherard will contribute her willingness to learn and put up her best sets to the court. Hostetler will use her speed and leaps to not only put away sets on the right side, but also shut down opponents’ outside hitters.”

While Gabel is excited about her hitters, she knows success hinges on consistency in the back row.

“I’m always concerned about serve receive,” she said. “A volleyball team can have the best hitters but if they can’t get a pass into a setter’s hands it doesn’t matter one iota. We focus heavily on our serve receive game in practices and will continue to do so throughout the season. Andie Peters has a bunch of experience in the back row and will be 1/3 of our serve receive. Libby Kranz is a very strong passer as well and will be another third of the serve receive. The final third will be split amongst out other three pin hitters.”

Gabel is joined once again by assistant coach Mel Gabel, her husband, who leads the JV squad and serves as the program’s setting coach. Gabel and Mel have coached on an off together since 1991, including at College of the Ozarks where he was the setting coach. Mallory Bohr coaches the C team, which consists of freshman and sophomores. Bohr played high school volleyball at Mount Vernon/Plankinton. Sheryl Ledeboer and Bailey Katzer guide the eighth- and seventh-grade teams. Together, the staff oversees more than 40 athletes in the junior high program.

With a wealth of returners and promising newcomers, the Orioles have one goal in mind.

“Our team goal is 100% to get back to state. We have some girls who have experienced the rush with taking down big teams to do it and are ready to repeat. We have  many who saw what it was like and ready to work to experience it themselves. The DAK XII is the toughest conference in the state, hands down. We know that we will likely have to get past two of the top three teams in the state to make our own path,” said Gabel. “This year, those teams will likely be perennial powerhouse Sioux Falls Christian (who finished third at state last year) and Dakota Valley (who finished second at state last year). Because of our conference’s high level of competition and the amount of times we play each other, we’re going to get some losses on our record. However, by the end of the season, we’ll be ready to take on whoever is on the other side of the net.”

Those looking to start for the Orioles on the quart this season will be the following athletes: 

Seniors

• Addison Martz – RS Hitter 

• Andie Peters – Libero 

• Hannah Adney – Setter

Juniors

• Mallorie Bittner – Middle Blocker

• Rylee Hedin – Outside Hitter

• Sydney Johnson – Middle Blocker

Sophomores

• Libby Kranz – Outside Hitter (Captain)

• Catie Sherard – Setter

• Jersie Hostetler – Right Side Hitter

• Allegra Vanderwerf - Rich Side Hitter/Middle Blocker

• Gabel also noted that Junior Varsity players may see some varsity time. 

“The Lennox volleyball program is extremely strong this year. During team placement announcements, I told them that there are girls on JV this year that could have been starting varsity players four years ago when I was first part of the program. As a whole, they’ve improved that much. The amount of off-season work these girls are putting into the sport is paying off in leaps and bounds. This year, we even took our JV squad to the Nebraska team camp for the first time because they are that good,” said Gabel. “We’re feeling really confident about our chances of making a big run into the post-season with the amount of returners and how the newcomers are fitting into our roster.”

2025 Lennox Volleyball Schedule

• Sept. 2 – vs. Vermillion, 7:00 p.m., Lennox High School

• Sept. 4 – vs. Tri-Valley, 7:00 p.m., Lennox High School Main Gym

• Sept. 6 – Canton Volleyball Invitational, 9:00 a.m., Canton High School

• Sept. 8 – @ Canton, 7:00 p.m., Canton High School

• Sept. 11 – @ Madison, 7:00 p.m., Madison High School Main Gym (C game starts at 4:30 p.m., rolling schedule)

• Sept. 16 – @ Elk Point-Jefferson, 7:00 p.m., EPJ High School

• Sept. 20 – Bon Homme VB Tournament, TBD, Bon Homme High School

• Sept. 20 – Cavalier Clash Varsity Tournament, 8:00 a.m., Bon Homme High School

• Sept. 23 – @ Mount Vernon/Plankinton, 7:30 p.m., Mount Vernon

• Sept. 25 – vs. West Central, 7:00 p.m., Lennox High School Main Gym

• Sept. 29 – vs. Tea Area, 7:00 p.m., Lennox High School

• Sept. 30 – @ Beresford, 7:30 p.m., Beresford High School Main Gym

• Oct. 2 – @ Dell Rapids, 6:45 p.m., Dell Rapids HS Gym

• Oct. 11 – vs. Pierre T.F. Riggs, 2:30 p.m., Lennox High School Main Gym

• Oct. 13 – vs. Garretson, 6:45 p.m., Lennox High School

• Oct. 14 – @ Dakota Valley, 7:00 p.m., Dakota Valley High School

• Oct. 18 – Dakota XII Conference Tournament, 9:00 a.m., Elk Point-Jefferson High School

• Oct. 20 – @ Sioux Falls Lutheran, 7:30 p.m., Sioux Falls Lutheran School

• Oct. 21 – @ McCook Central/Montrose, 7:00 p.m., McCook Central School District

• Oct. 24 – vs. Baltic, 7:15 p.m., Lennox High School

• Oct. 27 – vs. Sioux Falls Christian, 7:00 p.m., Lennox High School Main Gym

• Nov. 4 – Regionals Round 1, 7:00 p.m., Lennox High School Main Gym

• Nov. 6 – Regionals Round 2, 7:00 p.m., Lennox High School Main Gym

• Nov. 11 – Sodak 16, 7:00 p.m., TBD