New head coach takes over at MACCRAY

MACCRAY eighth-grader Brielle Janssen takes a swing at the ball while BBE’s Brooklyn Fischer (7) goes up for a block during a non-conference match on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 at Clara City.

Assistant coach Tory Brouwer takes over the Wolverines, who were 20-8 last season

BY TOM ELLIOTT | West Central Tribune

CLARA CITY — Welcome Tory Brouwer as the new coach at MACCRAY. She takes over for Therese Bourne after being a varsity assistant last year.

The Wolverines are coming off a good season. There are four starters back from a team that finished 9-3 in the Camden Conference North Division and was 20-8 overall. The Wolverines lost to Canby in the Section 3A playoffs 3-2 after opening the playoffs with a 3-1 victory over Renville County West.

Key losses from 2021 include libero Ella Bourne, outside hitter Kylee Kimpling and right-side hitter Gabrielle Randt.

This season, they’ll rely on all-stater Sydney Thein, a setter and outside hitter who will be one of the players to watch in the area. She led MACCRAY with 363 kills and “was a consistent back-row defender while also (recording) 342 set assists,” Brouwer said.

Also back is senior outside hitter Jordan Thein, junior setter Annie Bourne and freshman middle blocker Brielle Janssen.

Janssen is a “successful middle hitter who has expanded her game over the summer and contributed 37 blocks last year,” Brouwer said.

Another player to watch is Lexi Numi. She’s a sophomore middle blocker who “worked hard to develop her game and can play multiple positions,” Brouwer said.

Brouwer describes MACCRAY as “a young team with potential and the ability to improve. (We) lost multiple key players from last year’s team with the chance for new athletes to step up.”

The Wolverines opened the season Aug. 25 at Lakeview, then had a match scheduled for Aug. 30 at Ortonville.In fact, MACCRAY has four straight road matches to start the season, including Sept. 1 at Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa and Sept. 8 at Yellow Medicine East before its home-opener Sept. 13 against Tracy- Milroy-Balaton.Then, it’s two more road matches before the Jaguars again play at home Sept. 20 against Minneota, which finished second in the state in Class A in 2021.