The Carlton girls volleyball team has been bounced around from section to section more times than one can count over the past few years, and this year is no exception.
"We will play in Section 7A this year," said Carlton coach Barb Soukkala. "Last year we were in Section 5AA."
Between moving from AA to A and to different sections, the Carlton coaches probably have to spend more time trying to figure out who their competition is on a year-in and year-out basis, because the other stuff they have down pat. Carlton is a constant threat no matter what section or class they play in and last year they proved it again with a gaudy 26-2 record; their only two losses coming to Esko.
This year, the Bulldogs are facing a unique scenario in that they have lost five starters and their libero from a season ago.
"It is definitely a challenge to figure out what we are going to do," mentioned Soukkala. "We have only one senior who played extensively last season and that is Amber Bloom."
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Bloom, a senior right side hitter and setter, will need to help mold a team that will be made up of unproven varsity experience players.
A trio of seniors, Nitasha Grover, Monita Gibson and Danielle Peterson, will all need to make a step up and become impact players if the Bulldogs are to stay at the ultra high level they have become accustomed to.
"We also have a group of younger girls that we think will help us," explained Soukkala. "We just have to figure out who can do what."
A scrimmage last weekend in Hibbing helped Soukkala identify some players who might be up to the challenge. In the junior group look for Natasha Godbout and Holly Nelson to contribute. Godbout is an outside hitter and Nelson plays in the middle. Look for Taylor Carpenter, Katie Bloom and Brittany Zime to provide strong play in the sophomore age group.
"We are definitely going to be pretty young from an experience standpoint," commented Soukkala. "[However,] the girls played well in the Hibbing scrimmage and these girls have a lot of junior varsity and JO (Junior Olympic) experience, so they have played a lot of volleyball."
A season ago the Bulldogs only two losses came to Esko. One of those losses came in the regular season and the other in the section tournament.
Carlton will open Aug. 30 against Ogilvie at home.
