In her first year at the helm, Coach Danielle Heffernen guided the Highlanders women's volleyball team to the Empire 8 semifinals. The team finished with a 7-4 regular season conference record, and at one point won six consecutive conference matches.
With a solid core of returners, and several key additions, Coach Heffernen's squad will look to make a return run to the postseason in 2025.
Provide a quick recap of last season (if you are a returning coach).
Last year was an exciting first season. It was a season filled with a lot of culture-building and a focus on team standards that will be passed down year after year.
In addition to building a strong team culture, we also saw a lot of success on the court. Clinching an E8 birth and having the opportunity to host a first-round playoff match was a testament to the work the team put in on and off the court. While losing in the semi-final match was tough, it has served as a catalyst to continue pursuing excellence and an understanding that we are only beginning to scratch the surface of our potential.
What team goals have you put in place for the coming season?
We would like to continue the on-court success we experienced last season. We want to see a higher level of play in our non-conference matches that will translate into playing at a high level within our conference. Our goal is to make E8 playoffs once again and make it to the championship match this season.
What are the keys to meeting those goals?
We are a young squad, but every day they are looking for ways to better themselves and the team as a whole.
We have been focusing on competitive excellence and what that looks like day-to-day. We have put an emphasis on consistency and repetition overtime. It's not what we do once that matters, it is what we do consistently that will push us to reach our team goals.
It is also important that each of our players knows and understands their roles, puts everything they have into those roles, and sees every role as important. The cohesiveness of our squad will propel us to meeting our team goals.
What are your team's greatest strengths?
One of our greatest strengths is the commitment to team culture and competitive excellence. They want to see the person next to them succeed and they are eager to play their best for each other and for the glory of God. When we are in it for each other, we are stronger than any one individual.
What personnel losses from last season will be hardest to replace?
Our program saw two seniors graduate,
Ella Smith and
Katie Naprawa. Both were excellent leaders and poured a lot into the program. We will take what they gave back to the program and use it to continue the traditions of Houghton Volleyball. While their losses will be felt, it is always great to see how the new members of our team will bring some of those same qualities, but in their own way.
Who are the key returners and what do they provide the team?
With this being our second full year together, we will only continue to cohesively work together and our group of upperclassmen and sophomores will contribute in many ways to help us reach our team goals.
Emma Cole (E8 All-Conference & NCCAA All-Region) will bring depth and maturity in the middle both offensively and defensively for us this season.
Logan Baer and
Morgan Brace are now juniors and have been setting for our program for two full seasons, which helps with continuity and connections with hitters.
Natalie Rivera and
Gaby Gracia return as defensive specialists/liberos and they continue to grow in their knowledge of the defensive game.
Alexa Belanger will be great help to us offensively this season with her explosiveness and defensively with her blocking.
Who are some of the newcomers who could contribute and what do they add to your team?
We have added six newcomers this year and are excited for what they are going to contribute to our program over the next four years.
Praylan Perkins brings consistency in our serve receive game and is a smart attacker. She uses her power shot wisely, but can also pick apart defenses with off-speed shots. She is also a great addition to our defensive philosophy.
Becca Wilkins has been a great addition to our pin hitters. She is a versatile hitter that is able to hit from the left or right pin. She also has a variety of shots that will help keep our opponents defense on their heels.
Mia Noble has the ability to play outside or opposite. She gives us a variety of different options up front which we can use against our opponents.
Sierra Zinger brings versatility, playing outside or middle. She is also a good passer, which will help us in our serve receive game and allow her to hit anywhere along the net. She also has the foundations of being a great blocker, which will help slow down our opponent's offensive scheme.
Josie Thomas brings a strong serve that will help our serve receive passers continue to get better and become more lethal. She is also helping our setting group.
Lyndsay Kitchen is helping our passing and defensive squad. Her willingness to go after any ball helps our hitters be better at hitting away from defenders.
What are some of the pivotal games on the schedule?
We need to take advantage each matchup will provide. The teams on our schedule push us to competitively be excellent and raise our level of play. Each match will teach us invaluable lessons moving into the season. We will take those lessons to make our team better each day.
