Prep volleyball preview: Pocatello ready to take the last step following third-place finish at State
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POCATELLO — Fresh off a third-place finish in the 4A state tournament last year, the Pocatello Thunder, behind All-State outside hitter Abby Lusk, are ready to make another run at a title this year.
Lusk, who was named second-team All-State as a sophomore last year, will be expected to carry a heavy load again this season. But, head coach Paige Leatham said, there is experience abound for the squad as a whole.
Pocatello returns seven seniors joining Lusk, their lone All-State selection from 2023. And those returning players, Leatham added, understand what it takes to win — something some of them learned last season.
“Last year, we did a really good job of changing the culture of Poky and helping (the players) to realize that they can be winners,” Leatham said. “This year, it’s just finding our rhythm again and putting in a lot of work — getting stronger and faster.”
The Thunder took part in a youth volleyball jamboree in Idaho Falls Tuesday night, competing against some of the best players the state has to offer. Leatham said that her team “held our own” against the talented competition, but the coaching staff did use the experience to identify some areas where the team must improve.
“It was great because those sets don’t count as anything except reps,” the coach said, adding that the team must improve on its set-receive and passing. “We have the heavy hitters, we’ve got to be able to stay in rhythm and able to find them and create a good set for them.”
Getting those sets is one area where Poky is looking to grow. Junior setter Josie Haymore was on the JV squad as a sophomore last year, but will be thrown into the fire as the starter and centerpiece of the Thunder attack this season.
Haymore admitted that she is still working to develop a rapport with Lusk on the talented weapons surrounding her.
“I need to work on connecting with my hitters,” she said.
That growth will come, she believes, partly because of how close the entire team is.
“Everyone is such great friends, and I think that really helps because we’re more of a team, we trust each other and work together well. That will help us play better,” she said.
Leatham echoed that sentiment.
“This group is just super-special,” she said. “This group just automatically does the little things, and they just love each other.”
The coach echoed that claim, saying the entire team showed up at her home this weekend for an impromptu team-building sleepover.
“They just crashed my house for a sleepover,” Leatham said. “Those kinds of things, they literally love each other — team-bonding is never an issue for this team, and that’s different from a lot of the teams that I’ve coached in the past.”
Having a solid camaraderie takes one thing off the plate of the Poky coaches, who, Leatham said, can focus all their efforts on improving what the team does on the court — because there are no concerns off it.
“We have the power — we have the talent — this year to go even farther than we did last year,” Leatham said.
Pocatello starts its season Friday at the Peggy Peterson Invitational in Pocatello.