ABOVE: Front row, from left: Sydney Clow, Lillie Schultz, Courtney Anderson, Emily Schettler, Taylor Hughes, Addy Wohlhuter. Back row, from left: Ida Rohman, Brynlee Haukoos, Gianna Chase, Jaylee Hanson, Bailey Larson, Madelyn Carlson, Rowan Faber.

TRIMONT – The Martin County West High School volleyball program is heading in the right direction under the watch of head coach Kayla Zehms, who has been at the helm for more than 10 years.

Last year, the Mavericks secured the most wins the program has seen since the 2015-16 campaign, finishing the season posting a 16-10 record before falling to Cleveland in the Class A sections.

Fast forward to 2025.

Despite losing a handful of key pieces who contributed to the team’s success both on and off the court, Zehms is confident in the program’s ability to replenish talent lost.

“We lost a couple of pretty good key components from being on the floor, to being a good teammate, to being a good drill leader,” Zehms said. “Each year, we have lost some good key components from our gym. The nice thing is that our program has really built in the last couple of years, so it helps filter in that area.”

Filling this talent gap is a group of six returning varsity players who are poised to build on the momentum from last season.

Headlining the returning group are four upperclassmen with bona fide varsity experience.

Madelyn Carlson and Emily Schettler return as a key hitter/setter duo for MCW. Addy Wohlhunter and Courtney Anderson also bring some experience at the varsity level respectively.

Rowan Faber and Giana Chase round off the returning talent for the underclassmen.

“You can jump in a lot quicker,” Zehms said. “In the first week, a lot of times you are stuck with 36 to 40 kids in the gym, trying to decipher who’s going to go where. But when you have a lot of returners, that kind of helps set your dynamic already, and you are able to split a little quicker.”

Despite all of the returning experience, just three seniors make up the 2025 roster.

Zehms sees this as a chance to grow not only as a team, but as a whole. Developing the younger talent while her veteran players show them the ropes is how Zehm and her coaching staff plan to install a long-lasting culture.

“It’s a great opportunity for as we move forward,” Zehms said, “To have that experience, that always helps when you are coming back. But then, to also know that if you have some young talent, and then they are there again each year, it just really helps with your program I think.”

To improve off of last season, Zehms isn’t looking too far at the bigger picture. Instead, she wants her team to focus on improving on aspects of their skills on a game-to-game basis.

Whether it’s trying to earn more points on “quick-balls” or eliminating errors on serving and hitting, Zehms believes this mindset will help the team see positive results as the season progresses.

“Each game is focusing on something we want to get better at, and then taking that something and building on it for the next game,” Zehms said.

The Mavericks’ season kicks off Friday when they play Adrian High School on the road in a 7 p.m. match.