A senior on the Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Volleyball team is feeling optimistic about the 2024 squad ahead of the new season.

Addison Herrick is gearing up for her final run with the Tigers team as they are coming off the state tournament last year. She admits that the 2023 season is going to be a hard one to follow up in terms of the impeccable regular season record (27-4 overall; 8-0 inside Raccoon River Conference) but says that the graduated seniors from last year taught all about leadership. This is Herrick’s second year on the varsity level, as she praises her coaches on helping her improve with her blocking skills.

“As a middle (blocker) that’s really important for me, so I accredit a lot of that to them as well as my club coaches, like lots of coaches throughout my career have helped me get to this point.”

ADM graduated five seniors, who all started, last year, and although it can be challenging, Herrick is confident in this year’s team, especially with many younger teammates.

“It’s been going really well. We’re looking solid for having a lot of younger girls coming in, and our coaches are obviously pushing us hard in trying to get us back to where we were last season, but something that I’ve really loved just about playing with these girls is just they’re my best friends, like I come out here to play with them. It’s our last season together, like it’s going to be fun and everybody is just so supportive of each other, lifting each other up, it just makes for like a really fun season.”

Herrick recalls her favorite memory happening prior to the regional championship game against Dallas Center-Grimes where the ADM team went to Tropical Smoothie as it was beneficial to calm the nerves. Herrick is looking forward to competing alongside her friends.