Photo by Jake McNeill: The 2025 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton volleyball team includes (front row, left to right) Ellie Dybdahl, Taylin Thooft, Laken Baartman, Makenna Hesse, Brezlyn Buchert, Avery Vos, (back row) Bailey Thomas, Sara Thooft, Ava Karbo, Brynn Borresen, Paisley Thooft and Dru Ellefson. Not pictured: Jaida Fricke and Kaysie Serryn.

TYLER — The Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Knights, a dominant volleyball program in southwest Minnesota, begin the 2024 season with high hopes. They return much of last year’s roster and aim for another deep postseason run.

“I think with our program here, we’ve always had high expectations,” RTR defensive specialist Laken Baartman said. “Especially with coach [Daynica] Brown, she’s taught us to have high expectations for ourselves, and that helps us to keep pushing and reach for our goals.”

Now two years removed from its 2023 Class A state and Section 3A championships — both firsts for the program — RTR brings back talent from those title runs. Seniors Brezlyn Buchert (setter) and Ava Karbo (front-row) were sophomores on that team, while Laken Baartman, Paisley Thooft, Sara Thooft, and Dru Ellefson contributed as freshmen.

While the Knights have the luxury of time with their blend of experience and youth, coach Brown said that the goal for this season is to put everything into each match rather than thinking about the future.

“A lot of times, people focus on their senior season and that’s when they really shine. And it’s like, no, right now, today let’s get better every single day and every single play,” Brown said. “With younger players, you just want them to go out and play like it’s their last [match] no matter what, give it their all and kind of make a name for themselves.”

RTR is a team that’s been consistently strong in the back row in recent years. Among the key contributors to that defensive success was Avery Schreurs, an All-State libero who led the team with 411 digs last season as a senior. Her ability to cover ground and stop the ball from hitting the ground will be missed, but the Knights still have the talent to fill that void.

This wouldn’t be the first time the Knights overcame the loss of key contributors to remain in the upper echelon of Class A teams. RTR graduated a pair of All-State players in Abby Carr and Gabi Borresen after their 2023 title run, as well as Independent All-Area selection Ally Nelson. Yet, with a fresh-faced team, they still put together a 23-9 record last season and advanced to the 3A South Subsection championship last year, falling in four sets to Westbrook-Walnut Grove.

“[This team] just wants to win. They have that hunger. They know how it ended last year, and they were dissatisfied,” Brown said. “All of these girls were on the state team, they were on the bench, mainly, so they want the full experience. They’re determined, they’ve been working hard in the offseason and preseason, so they’re ready to take on anybody.”

RTR’s schedule was one designed for a team that believes it can compete with the best of the best. The Knights will play three teams ranked top 6 in Class A in their first five matches, including reigning state champion Mayer Lutheran, top-ranked Minneota and No. 6 Canby.

Baartman is one of the primary players who will help fill the defensive gap left by Schreurs. As a defensive specialist last season, Baartman finished second on the team with 238 digs, but also showed some talent as an outside hitter last season. This year, she will likely be one of the team’s captains and could see time in the front or back row, Brown said.

In addition to Baartman, Brown said that Makenna Hesse, Taylin Thooft and Ellie Dybdahl are among the other players who could take the libero role ahead of the season, though a final decision is yet to be made.

Buchert returns as the team’s setter for this season. She was a valuable contributor to the Knights offensively and defensively, tallying 555 set assists, 207 digs and 22 blocks last season.

“[We want to] just be better, keep pushing ourselves and always want to be on top,” Buchert said when asked about the team’s aspirations for the season. She added that she views the group’s communication and ability to pump each other on the court while keeping the game fun are among the team’s strong suits.

On the finishing end of Buchert’s assists, Paisley Thooft and Karbo return as the Knights’ leaders in kills with 224 and 188, respectively.

The Knights’ leading front-row duo was also efficient with their hits, Karbo logging a .239 hitting percentage and Thooft clocking in at .200. Defensively, Karbo had a knack for anticipating hits at the net with 54 blocks while Thooft added another 20.

Sara Thooft also played a major role for the team last season in both the front and back rows, finishing with 188 digs, 125 kills and 17 digs.

RTR will go on the road to start its season against Mayer Lutheran at New Prague High School on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. After another road match against top-ranked Minneota on Tuesday, the Knights will host Lakeview for their home opener on Thursday, Aug. 28 at 7:15 p.m.