Cyclones VB Continues Improvements w/ Season Set to Begin

Cyclones VB Continues Improvements w/ Season Set to Begin –

(8-21-25) – Up the tempo and sure up the defense!

That could be the motto for the 2025 Cyclone volleyball team. New Harlan Community Volleyball Coach Amber Brown has her athletes working hard leading up to their season opener.

“We've been working a lot on improving that tempo of our offense,” Brown told KNOD Sports. “Really making our hitters work a little faster, a little harder. Then also, just like relentless defense. Good, aggressive, gritty defense. Not letting balls hit the floor. So both of those things have been going really, really well this season so far.”

Brown takes over a group that was 9-22 a season ago and has some solid returning players, including libero Carly Torneten.

“She's super quick physically, and she gets to a lot of balls and her volleyball IQ is increasing every day, really being able to read.

"I think the best thing about Carly is she's like a silent leader on the court. We're trying to get her to be a little more vocal, but she just leads by example and she really just like, holds the team together with her personality.”

Brown has other cogs on her team who will play key roles, including Taylor Heese, Ellerie Nelson, & Kate Koesters.

“I think Taylor Heese is going to be a little energy spark as a junior. So she has that as a leader. Ellerie Nelson is kind of like the glue that kind of keeps everybody together, but Kate Koesters is going to play a vital role in running our offense as a setter.”

Getting good outside work from Addy Wicks & Hope Preston is also vital to her team’s success, according to Brown.

“Addy Wicks is bringing a lot of power on the outside. Hope is continuing to bring that power on the right side.”

The Cyclones take the court for the first-time this season with a quad against ADM, Abraham Lincoln, and Des Moines Christian on Thursday.

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