Photo by Sam Thiel Pictured is the 2021 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton volleyball team. Player identification was not available at press time.

TYLER — Last year, the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton volleyball team had another strong season, posting a 12-2 record in the pandemic-shortened schedule. This season, the Knights will rely on its youth factor and look to replicate that success under coach Daynica Brown.

RTR will have Lexi Schreurs, Abby Carr, Ella Hesse, Kyah Ellefson and Casey Swanson all coming back this season, along with Tatum Hess and Gabi Borresen.

Brown said with having such a young team, a main area of focus during the first couple of weeks of practice has been on being consistent as a group and stepping into leadership roles.

“Consistency will be key since they are a younger squad. Getting lots and lots of reps of your basic skills and learning that you don’t always have to pound the ball to get a kill and playing smart because as you get older you learn the game is more about being smart with the ball than just going for that hard swing,” Brown said. “And then just constantly fighting to improve and stepping up as leaders and wanting to help your team in a leadership role.”

Brown added she expects her players to bring a lot of energy to the floor this year and are hungry to prove themselves as a team.

“I think we’re going to surprise people,” Brown said. “With losing a very strong squad last year, I think our current players are going to do very well; they’re feisty and they are the younger siblings of a lot of athletes I’ve had throughout my coaching career so they’re hungry and want to prove they can play with the best.”

RTR will open the season on Aug. 31 on the road at Edgerton at 7:15 p.m. Going into the season, Brown said she’s looking forward to watching her team grow as well as show their appreciation for the community, who helped support them with a new school and athletic playing surfaces.

“I’m really excited about the growth. Since these kids are young and have a lot of energy, they are very hungry and they want to prove themselves,” Brown said. “And then having this new gym, I think it’s even more exciting for them. The community really stepped up for them and we want to do the same. One of my philosophies this year is having a grateful heart and that’s our team motto this year, so I want them to play their best to ultimately thank the community. I think they’re going to have a lot of improvement throughout the year and you’ll see a lot more growth from a team like ours because of the youth factor that we have.”