Eastern Idaho The high school volleyball season begins with the Peg Peterson Invitational in Pocatello. The four local schools who won banners last year are among the few that have real hopes of winning a title.
Both the Bear Lake Bears and the Grace Lutheran Royals are coming off of winning seasons in the 4A and 1A divisions, respectively. Under their current head coaches, Ashleigh Sayer-Frederick at Pocatello’s small private school and Stephanie Birch in Montpelier, both have finished with a winning record each year.
Several high schools, including Pocatello, Malad, and Rockland, are eager to let off steam in the new year after failing to live up to their individual championship potential in 2024.
Of course, the Madison Bobcats and Butte County Pirates are enduring powerhouses. After years of competing with the Grace Grizzlies for conference supremacy, the Pirates concluded the 2024 season with a 42-8 record and a 2A title.
The Bobcats concluded the season with their third consecutive state championship, proving they are no strangers to winning on the grandest stage.
Keanu Pukahi, a second-year head coach and former Madison assistant coach, told EastIdahoSports.com that he and his players are prepared to throw the ball in the air.
He said, “I’m really excited for the season.” I can’t wait to return to the gym.
Both Pukahi and Gretchen Simpson, who is starting her seventh season as head coach at Butte County, discussed how their programs’ success is largely due to the coaching that players receive before high school.
According to Simpson, several of these girls have been playing together since they were five or six years old, when they first joined our community activities.
According to Pukahi, bobcat players have a thorough understanding of the game and its principles before they enter high school. He went on to say that the middle school coaches help the girls succeed.
Pukahi remarked, “I’ve been really fortunate that they do that because I can work on expanding upon those fundamentals with strategies and stuff like that.”
Notable players were lost by both teams.
Butte County graduates Jobby Smith and Hayley Jardine will be joining Madison for the 2025 season, although All-State players Nora Waddoups and Brookie Lamph will not be there. However, they both come back even more.
Aspen Boice, Jonnie Folsom, Torey Parker, and Mia Walsh are the four current All-State picks that will lead the Bobcats.
Cambree Lyon, the 2024 2A All-State Player of the Year, and All-State First-Teamers Addison Pancheri and Kolee Simpson return to the Simpson’s Pirates.
Both teams are at the top of the power rankings thanks to systems designed for success and the return of many outstanding players.
Simpson told EastIdahoSports.com that we should continue to be fiercely competitive. We’ll have a lot of experience.
Conversely, Bear Lake lost three of their best players from the previous season, including Saydee Shaul and Brynlee Birch, who were selected to the First Team All-State.
Yet, Birch has quickly retooled in an attempt to propel her program into the Madisons and Butte Counties.
She told EastIdahoSports.com, “I think we have a good shot to be in it again. I’ve moved some kids around and put them in some different spots that they aren’t quite used to.”
Like their fellow defending champions, Grace Lutheran took severe hits, such as Kirsten Krause, the 1A All-State Player of the Year, graduating. However, the Royals intend to restock and try again, just like their contemporaries.
After placing outside of the trophies the previous year, Pocatello brought back star Abby Lusk despite losing a few standouts. Trin Wiese, an All-State Third-Teamer, returns to Rockland after three of its four All-State players from a year ago graduated.
However, Malad brings back three All-Staters and 3A Co-Player of the Year, Izzy Haycock.
Even though many of the names will be familiar to volleyball fans in eastern Idaho, several lesser-known players will also make significant contributions.
According to Pukahi, Madison will demand more from senior Emma Pannell, who made significant contributions a year ago but didn’t receive the recognition the coach characterized. After Waddoups graduates, fellow senior Camri Call will take over as the starting setter.
Pukahi thinks this year’s team will be just as excellent as last year’s, if not better, despite the losses.
“To be honest, their chemistry is incredible,” he remarked.
After seeing little play in her sophomore season, junior Taylee Roberts will be crucial to Butte County’s success. Saige Wanstrom, a hitter, then shifts to setter.
“She will be essential to our offensive strategy,” Simpson stated. I needed to find a solution to keep my bigs going because I had a lot of them.
Birch mentioned Kortlyn Skinner and Emmie Sharp, a third-year starting setter, as two Bears who are coming off All-State seasons but whom she expects even more from this season.
According to Birch, “Sharp is one of the most competitive kids in the gym and runs a pretty quick offense.”
Junior Halle Wells is now an outside hitter instead of a middle blocker. Birch remarked, “She’s going to be one to watch.” Avery Hunter, a sophomore, will also establish herself.
Could the 2025 season be like the previous one, in which four of the six state volleyball banners crossed Interstate 84 to the east half of the state? This week is when that story starts.
