The 2026 MFL MarMac volleyball team brings experience and a scrappy, competitive mentality that has head coach Becky Johnson excited for the season ahead.

Of the 10 players on the Bulldog varsity roster, six saw significant varsity court time last year, and Johnson expects many of them will take on major court time this go around, too.

Among the returners are seniors Lily Johnson and Payton McElwaine. Johnson, a 2025 second team all-conference selection, will play outside hitter and is comfortable playing all six rotations.

“We’ll rely on her heavily in serve-receive and defense, and her ability to pass will be important in helping us get our offense set up,” the coach shared.

McElwaine returns as a pin hitter. She brings grit and competitiveness to the court, and both she and Johnson have shown leadership early in the season.

“They’ve been vocal in practice and have helped set the tone for communication and expectations on the court,” Johnson said.

Junior Addison Corlett returns as the Bulldog setter, and Johnson expects her to be one of the top setters in the Upper Iowa Conference.

“She’s worked extremely hard on developing her presence as a setter and improving her defensive game,” the coach added.

Junior Macy McGeough is back as a right-side hitter. She put a lot of offseason work into developing her swing, and improvements are visible.

“I’m excited about what she can bring to our offense this season,” Johnson said.

Junior Kensey Ball will move into the libero position after spending the past two seasons as a defensive specialist—experience that prepared her for this new role. Johnson credited her as the best passer on the team, and one who brings a lot of scrappiness and energy to the defense.

Sophomore Blair Winter will move into an outside hitter role for MFL MarMac.

“She’s still young, but she brings a lot of athleticism and height to the position,” said Johnson.

Junior Kambry Keehner was rostered last season, but played a smaller role. Now, she’ll step into a larger role as a middle hitter. Johnson called her the team’s strongest blocker, “and we’re working on developing her timing so she can turn those blocks into points.”

A newcomer who Johnson anticipates will make an impact is junior Ashtyn Dundee, who will play middle hitter. The coach believes she has the potential to become one of the strongest blockers in the conference once her timing and mechanics are developed.

“She’s also been working hard on becoming more of an offensive threat,” Johnson said, “so I think she has the potential to make an impact for us in multiple areas. She’s athletic, has great size at the net and has been willing to put in the work to continue improving.”

Johnson listed experience as one of MFL MarMac’s biggest strengths. Several athletes began playing varsity at a young age, and with multiple seasons under their belts, are prepared for this season’s expectations.

The coach said offseason dedication has also been impressive, with some playing in the winter, attending open gyms, camps and preseason scrimmages and getting stronger in the weight room.

Additionally, the Bulldogs have more height than they’ve had in previous seasons, which Johnson said provides opportunities at the net which the team is excited to build on.

“I also really like the mentality of this group,” Johnson noted. “They’re extremely scrappy, competitive and hungry to win.”

Throughout the season, Johnson looks for MFL MarMac to focus on serve-receive and developing players who previously weren’t as naturally comfortable passing.

Blocking will be another area of emphasis, according to Johnson. The Bulldogs have height, and are doing well at getting their hands on balls and slowing the opposing team’s offense down. Now, they want to take the next step and turn those blocks into points.

“We’re working on our timing and learning how to connect with the block,” she said.

MFL MarMac’s biggest goal is to be better than last season’s 15-23, which doubled the win total from the previous two campaigns.

“We had a good year last year and put together one of the better records this program has had in quite some time, even if it wasn’t necessarily the winning record we ultimately wanted,” Johnson said. “This year, I think the group wants the record to look different. They’re extremely hungry to win, and that mentality has been evident since the first day of practice.”

For Johnson, success is seeing the group reach the level it’s capable of reaching. With its experience, athleticism, height and group of girls who genuinely want to compete, improvements and consistent play can lead the Bulldogs to a successful season.

“Ultimately, I want us to look back at the end of the season knowing we got better, competed every night and gave ourselves a chance to win,” she said. “I also think this team is capable of raising the expectations for this program. I don’t think they’re satisfied with simply having a better season—I think they want to show this program can compete with anyone.”

MFL MarMac began its season Aug. 25, in a quad at Decorah. The team will then compete in a tournament at Ed-Co on Aug. 29.

Johnson said the team has a good schedule, and is excited about having half its conference matches at home. She encourages the community to come out and support MFL MarMac volleyball.

“Volleyball is an exciting game, and I think this group is going to be fun to watch,” she shared. “They’re competitive, scrappy and they’re going to leave everything on the court. We have a group that is hungry to win, and I think our fans are going to enjoy the energy and competitiveness they bring every match.”