ABOVE: Back Row, from left: #9 Taylor Parsons, #3 Jameele Reyes, #13 Maisey Bierstedt, #11 Bryn Nicoson, #14 RaeAnn Leach, #13 Ally Bruhn, #6 Olivia Richardson, #2 Liberty Burbank, #12 Courtney Fraker, #5 Aslynn Sobolik, #4 Marissa Nielsen, and #7 Natalie Walders. Middle Row, from left: #9 Lexcy Redding, #16 Lucy Dreyer, #4 Samantha Hoye, #10 Shallie Walders, #1 Cloey Anderson, #16 Ainsley Ulrich, #15 Briley Henriksen, #10 Macie Schueller, and #8 Sophyria Long. Front Row, from left: #8 Brylie Deim, #3 Olivia Price, #14 Macy Colegrove

ARMSTRONG – Season 1 of the Nicole Hoye era begins this fall for the North Union High School volleyball program.

The former assistant coach for the Warriors takes the keys from Cortney Stevens, hoping to bring back some success after the team struggled to find its footing in 2024.

North Union went 5-19 last year, finishing the season with a loss to Newman Catholic in the first round of the Class A Region Three bracket.

“Last year’s season was definitely a rougher season,” Hoye said. “We had some new, young girls last year that were hitting varsity for their first year, maybe second year for some of them. It was just a developing year.”

Now, the Warriors will be without Ava Steinberger, Aliyah Jones, and Lainey Shannon, a group that started all 24 matches for North Union a year ago.

Steinberger was second on the team in kills at 134, Jones’ 264 assists marked the most on the roster, and Shannon’s 20 blocks were good for the second highest for the Warriors.

Despite losing three seniors from last year’s roster, Hoye is confident in the abilities her many returning underclassmen bring to the table.

“It’s definitely going to make us that much stronger this year,” Hoye said when returning to her team’s underclassmen. “Now we have girls who have seen the court before. They had those first-year jitters out of the way, and they are going to hit the ground running this year because they got the experience under them.”

Headlining the players coming back are senior Brylie Deim, sophomore Samantha Hoye, and junior Cloey Anderson.

Deim returns after leading the Warriors in kills and digs with 177 and 220, respectively. Samantha Hoye and Anderson bring back the much-needed libero and setter duo every team needs. Samantha Hoye recorded 147 assists the previous season, while Anderson’s 205 digs were the second most on the roster.

While these are just a couple of names, Hoye is adamant that this season’s roster will have a plethora of depth to work with.

Juniors Ainsley Ulrich, Maisey Bierstedt, Shallie Walders, and senior Macy Colegrove are just a handful of key returning pieces coming off another season of varsity experience.

With the handful of returning players that the Warriors bring back, Hoye wants people to recognize the chemistry this group has developed over the years, considering the number of games they have played together.

“I want people to talk about this team and how bonded they are, and how much fun they have on the court,” Hoye said.

North Union starts the season on Saturday, competing in the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Volleyball Tournament. Hosted by the Cardinals themselves, this competition will include teams such as Northwood-Kensett, Rockford, West Fork, North Iowa, Newman Catholic, and West Hancock.