Volleyball

        Thanks to Janice Hawkins for this roundup of the JO volleyball season.

      The Aitkin JO Volleyball program would like to thank Aitkin High School for allowing us to use the gymnasiums to practice weekly during the winter months and have our very own JO Volleyball program with exclusively Aitkin athletes.  We are also thankful we were able to host a playdate in February at AHS and invited area teams to come in and play.  We would like to thank the parents/fans who would travel to locations such as, Superior, WI, Pequot Lakes and Mountain Iron-Buhl to cheer us on.  These are long days and it is incredible to see the fans that spend those long days with our teams, hydrating, fueling, encouraging and supporting us all.  These girls are all involved in so many other sports and activities at AHS but always found the energy to work hard in our weekly practices and then compete on the weekends.  We were able to have four teams for most of the season, and we added a fifth team at the very end due to increased interest by the athletes.  Our teams traveled to area schools and competed in tournaments that typically have a schedule lasting all day averaging five matches of volleyball.  There were many tournaments that Aitkin was one of the first teams there and the last to leave.  Many of the teams we compete against are club teams, meaning they have tryouts open to anyone and then the team is made up of girls from multiple schools.  The club teams also typically practice more than once a week.  Aitkin JO began the season right after Thanksgiving and finished with our last tournament on April 11th and 12th.  Every team showed so much growth.  It you haven’t watched much volleyball, I would start.  These girls will be fun to watch for years to come.

Aitkin 12U did not have enough interest in the beginning of the season to have a team.  They only had five girls interested in playing.  Midway through the season we asked them again and almost doubled that number having nine athletes interested and willing to practice just three times and then compete in Pequot Lakes on April 11, 2026.  They grew so much in such a short period of time.  I want to thank Wade Zubke, our Varsity coach, for stepping in to practice with them and coach them.  These girls got a taste of what Aitkin JO is all about and we hope they return for the fall volleyball season as well as the JO season next year.  

Aitkin 13U was coached by Heather Rikala and assisted by multiple high school volleyball players. Some of these girls participated last year and some did not so they had a mixture of experience when it came to working the matches.  Every match is reffed by another team, so not only do the girls play an average of five matches, they also typically work two to four matches leaving them not only physically exhausted at the end of the day, but mentally exhausted as well.  This team competed in four tournaments during the season and finished with 1st in Bronze, 2nd in Gold, Semi-Finals in Platinum and 1st in Silver.  

Aitkin 14U was coached by Janice Hawkins and they competed in four tournaments as well this season.  Two of their tournaments there was an option to play at the club level (upper level) or stay at the classic level.  We played the Club level for those two and the girls continued to learn and grow throughout the day.  Looking back at the season, I think they would all agree that the highlight was going undefeated for the day and winning the Championship in Gold at the Humma Hyah Tournament in Mountain Iron-Buhl.  They played six matches that day and it was their largest tournament with fifteen teams participating.  This team has grit and if they were down they battled back and never gave up until the last point was awarded.  Their season ended with a 13-7-1 record.  They took 2nd in Silver, 1st in Gold, 2nd in Silver and 2nd in Gold.  This team is ready for summer sessions and I know they will work hard in the off season and continue to improve their skills.

Aitkin 16U-2 was coached by Noelle Jones and Lydia Fellerman.  This team didn’t lose a single match in pool play! They had amazing comebacks and they made it to the top bracket at every tournament! They finished the season 18-3 with a semi final place in Gold, another semi final finish in Gold, 1st in Gold and 2nd in Gold.  Their last match of the season was bitter sweet as they faced the other Aitkin team.  Due to an injury they had to adjust mid season and they finished the season as a very strong team.  They have the ability to make incredible saves, the perseverance to come back and contagious energy.  They had fans on their feet over and over again this season.

Aitkin 16U-1 was coached by Janice Hawkins.  They competed in four tournaments as well and finished the season with an 18-2 record.  They took 1st in Gold, 2nd in Silver, 1st in Gold and 1st in Gold.  This team worked on some new offenses and are defensive machines.  They pass the ball very well and that makes it really fun for them to have so many offensive options.  They are also able to serve the ball to specific areas on the court which sometimes allows them an easy point and another second to catch their breath.  They too have had some great comebacks, amazing saves and volleys that should be awarded two points instead of one because they worked so hard defending their court against multiple attacks.