Former Galesburg High School girls basketball coach Evan Massey shares his insights on the game and other topics through his Massey Basketball blog, now featured here on WGIL.
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Coach Nicole Kisler will be starting her second season as the Streaks volleyball varsity head coach. They have had an exciting summer with a strong group of returning players.
The Streaks will open on the road at Burlington on Monday, August 25 before returning to Thiel Gym for their home opener on Wednesday, August 27 vs. West Central.
Coach Kisler shared their summer progress and the excitement about the upcoming season.
Massey- How is your volleyball turnout for summer volleyball?
Coach Kisler- Attendance is always a little low during June basketball, but has picked up for the month of July. Turnout has been slightly down from last year with a smaller Senior class and natural decline in return athletes as they move to Sophomore and Varsity levels.
Massey- What do you try to get in during the summer?
Coach Kisler- We started GHS Speed School this spring and continued that in the summer. We also provide a lifting workout along with open gyms all of June to get touches on the ball and then into contact days during July. We provided both a youth camp and high school camp to the community. We were also able to bring a varsity and junior varsity team to U of I for a team camp at the end of July. July also brought scrimmages on Tuesdays for varsity teams in the Kimbrough Fieldhouse. We hosted between 4-6 teams each week. It was a great experience and our hope is to continue this in the future.
Massey- Is your approach to practice different than in the season?
Coach Kisler- Practice is different in summer and even different from June to July. In June we are focusing more on individual development and playing pick up games to provide more touches on the ball. July starts to ramp up to more like practice during the season as the month progresses with continuation of game-like drills and hosting scrimmages. We really want the athletes that are thinking about trying out for the team to get a sense of what is expected of them and if this program is a good fit for them.
Massey- Who do you have returning and who are some of your new players coming in?
Coach Kisler- I am happy to say we have a good number of players returning. Sophia Kisler, Kaitlyn Harrison, Taylor Adams, Evelin Guel, Macey Huft, Taylor Herchenroder, and Grace Herchenroder. A majority of these players were in the starting rotations. We have Ella Herchenroder, Cali Froelich, Macie Jordan, Addie Painter, and Ava Marty that will be joining us from the Sophomore team last season as well.
Massey- Are there changes in style and culture you are making for this season?
Coach Kisler- We continue to build on the culture that we started last season which was “elevating our game” with 4 pillars: LIFT Leadership, Integrity, Fight and Team. The varsity squad will be in charge of the changes to our pillars as needed and coaches are working hard to elevate our game. Ultimately, as a coaching staff we are united in the need to facilitate a culture of team and family to achieve our goals.
Massey- After going through this summer, what excites you about the team?
Coach Kisler- The growth from last season to this season excites me the most. These players have a better understanding of the game and I am proud of these girls for putting in the extra effort and time to achieve not only their goals, but the team’s goals.
Massey- Is your staff set?
Coach Kisler- Yes! I am so happy to say we have Coach Huft returning as Sophomore coach and we have hired an alumni of GHS, Brynn Atwell, to be Freshman coach. She played for GHS and then went on to play for Rockford University. She also has coached club volleyball during her time in college. Shan Waid will be assisting varsity as a volunteer coach.
2025 Schedule
Mon- Aug 25 at Burlington
Wed- Aug 27 West Central
Thu- Aug 28 at Canton
Sat- Aug 30 at Quincy Tourney
Tue- Sept 2 Peoria ND
Thu- Sept 4 At Alleman
Tue- Sept 9 Rock Island
Thu- Sept 11 At UTHS
Tue- Sept 16 At Quincy
Thu- Sept 18 At Geneseo
Tue- Sept 23 Sterling
Thu- Sept 25 At Moline
Tue- Sept 30 Alleman
Thu- Oct 2 At Rock Island
Tue- Oct 7 UTHS
Thu- Oct 9 Quincy
Sat- Oct 11 At Dixon Tourney
Mon- Oct 13 At Dunlap
Tue- Oct 14 Geneseo
Thu- Oct 16 At Sterling
Thu- Oct 23. Richwoods
* Always check the GHS Athletic Dept website for changes.
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