PETOSKEY — Teams everywhere this time of year are busy blending new groups and building chemistry together.
In a sport like volleyball, those relationships on the court are always so critical to success.
Around Northern Michigan, there might not be a varsity team that’s been focused on just that more so than Petoskey just ahead of the 2026 season.
“We’ve done a little more this summer than we did last summer, so a lot of them have been connecting with each other,” Petoskey coach Erin Luckhardt said. “They’re doing a really nice job of just being inclusive and bringing everyone into the team.”
Luckhardt has had to put an emphasis on it. Her Northmen are essentially a melting pot of athletes.
While you’ll typically find a mix of juniors making their move up to varsity and seniors, Petoskey is a collection of six seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen.
As one of the seniors selected as a captain by her teammates, Courtney Howard has enjoyed all of the classes coming together so far.
“It’s really fun because the freshmen, they’re new to this level and it’s fun being a senior because you’re so knowledgeable for them,” Howard said. “The sophomores, they’ve jumped from freshmen to varsity and the juniors are getting into that upperclassmen mentality.”
Expecting to have a younger team, Luckhardt had many take part in camps over the summer at Boyne City building chemistry together, then once the team was set a little over a week ago, everyone took part in a day at Camp Daggett.
“Camp Daggett is just a staple for a lot of our teams to go and do some team building and bonding and seeing who rises to the top as leaders,” Luckhardt said. “I feel like this year it was really important to see that happen, just so they could be a little more connected.”
For senior Cora Howard, a camp day just after the team was finalized was very beneficial.
“We got to see a lot of their different personalities come out,” she said. “I haven’t hung out with a lot of the girls, other than just the summer league. Just seeing everyone’s personality and how funny everyone is and so chill.”
They showed that fun side in one of their earliest practices together by all wearing different funny shirts from the discount store, Five Below, which brought plenty of laughs.
But while they might have that personality away from the court, Luckhardt and assistant coach Megan Tompkins are seeing a competitive spirit shine so far when they’re in action.
“The level of intensity that they’re bringing to practice is something that Megan and I are both really excited about,” Luckhardt said. “They’re focused and they’re pretty intentional with their movement. I think that’s really exciting and they’re really just hard workers.”
Most of the players back to the court this season aren’t established names. A lot were role players a year ago, though seniors like Julia Dieterle, Lily Flynn, Kaitlyn Speigl, Tara Brantly and the Howard sisters all had their moments a year ago.
Luckhardt is also seeing the next generation push and challenge for positions on the court, including those sophomores and freshmen.
“I think we’ve talked a lot about it being a day in and day out thing,” Luckhardt said. “It’s not necessarily, ‘Here’s our starters.’ Every single day it’s, ‘Who is pushing and who is working harder?’”
From the junior class, Venice Johnson and Gia Wemigwase will each move up, then Ava Hunt and Anna Miller will both compete as sophomores. A talented freshman class will also bring up Jane Horsburgh, Liza Luckhardt and Claire Pike.
In 2026, lineups may change depending on how they want to attack or set up defensively against a team, as well.
While they’re not likely to overpower many teams, one thing Luckhardt knows they can rely on is being smarter and more mentally prepared that others, while quickly letting mistakes go.
“There might be times when teams get kills on us, but if we can be relentless in our defense and relentless pursuing the ball, or if mistakes happen, being quick to recover, then that can be a pivotal piece for us,” she said. “We’re just excited to see how it goes.”
Things get started this Friday, Aug. 21 for Petoskey against an athletic Roscommon team at Kirtland Community College in Grayling. The first home match will then be on Wednesday, Sept. 2 in a hosted quad.
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Things looking up for Petoskey volleyball despite melting pot of classes
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
