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ADAMS –  The Southland volleyball team is off to a solid start to the season and no matter how the season ends, the long-time Rebel players have already done a lot to change the program for the better. 

Southland’s group of eight seniors came onto the varsity program when things were tough and they are now enjoying a start that has seen them win five of their first seven matches.

“We know everybody from every team we play and it’s fun to play against them,” Southland senior Ella Mensink said. “In the past few years, the wins have gone up. I watched all the games when I was little when my older sister played and they weren’t very good. I’ve seen the program grow throughout the years.”

The Rebels took their first big step when they went 12-8 overall last season and that was their first season with a winning record in a decade. Now the team is hoping to take an even bigger step and advance to tournament play in Mayo Civic Center.

The team has confidence and communication on its side as it takes aim on that big goal.

“We’ve all been here since seventh grade and we’ve been together throughout the whole thing,” said senior Maren Wehrenberg. “We work together well and we know how we all play. It’s a good pairing. We all know that we’re responsible for anything that happens in the gym.”

Since Southland is a smaller high school, the senior class is familiar with each other in other sports, in the classroom, and around town.

“It’s not just on the court, but off the court. We all get along and we’re friends off the court too,” said senior Jaida Sorenson. “We kept building our skills together as the years went on.”

 Volleyball can be a tough sport to improve in. When things are tough, the matches become sweeps and they go by quickly; players are on their heels for much of the night. The Rebels have made their improvements by staying together through it all.

“We’ve always been there for each other and we grew a bond that’s really hard to break,” said senior Nevaeh Shaw.

The big group of seniors has given the team plenty of leaders and everyone gets a chance to be heard. Senior Abby Sorgatz said that the entire team is supportive.

“If somebody’s not talking as much, we know how to work with them to get them to talk more,” she said. “Everyone is always encouraging and checking up on each other.”

With so many seniors, and some underclassmen who contribute, there is not always a spot on the floor for every player. But that hasn’t affected the mood of the team at all.

“Just coming to practice and being with my friends, we’ve all grown really close through volleyball. It’s been fun to see the improvement,” senior Riana Ulven said.

However their season ends, the Rebels will continue playing together and they’ll do it with a positive attitude.

“We all have a really strong connection that’s continued to grow. It’s really fun to play together,” senior Addison Retterath said.

The Rebels will play at Grand Meadow at 7:15 p.m. Thursday.