“This recruiting class is very driven and committed,” said Troy head volleyball coach Josh Lauer. The Trojans are bringing in four talented freshmen from across the Midwest and South regions to help bolster an already stacked roster.
“Our recruiting every year is pretty national in focus, so we feel like to compete in the Sun Belt, one of the top mid-majors in the country, we have to have a very broad recruiting net,” said Lauer. “We’re out recruiting in the southeast, the Midwest, Texas, kind of all over.”
The first of the freshmen is Kayla Baetzel, a defensive specialist hailing from Plainfield, Illinois. She led her school, Plainfield South High School, to 21 wins in her junior season for a school-record win total before tallying 279 digs with 61 assists in her senior season. Baetzel also has family ties to Troy volleyball as her aunts, Julie and Melissa Keck, both played for the Trojans.
The next freshman is Kalina Calvillo, an outside hitter coming from San Antonio, Texas. The 6’0” hitter set an Antonian College Preparatory High School record of 1,835 kills while leading the team to state tournament appearances in her junior and senior seasons. She also led the team to a 41-8 record her senior season.
Ashlynn Axtell is the third incoming freshman of the class, as she comes to Troy from Austin, Texas. The 6’0” middle hitter finished her high school career with 550 kills and 282 blocks while leading her school, Anderson High, to 27-12 record her senior season. She also led her district in blocks her junior year with 122 total.
The final freshman joining the Trojans on the court this upcoming season is Olivia Kwiatkowski, a 6’0” outside hitter from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Kwiatkowski started all four years at Oconomowoc High School and helped lead them to a runner-up finish in the Wisconsin 6A state championship her junior and senior seasons. She ended her time at Oconomowoc with 353 kills overall.
Lauer hopes to have the freshmen make immediate impacts on the floor.
“What this group is going to bring to the table is that they have a high level of high school and club volleyball experience,” Lauer said. “Their volleyball IQ is going to be really, really good for our team.”
Two players to note early are Kwiatkowski and Calvillo, both 6’0” outside hitters. Lauer is looking to them to add depth on the outside and the right-side hitter positions to help back up rising juniors Amiah Butler and Sara Bates as well as rising senior Tori Hester.
This doesn’t count out the impact Ashlynn Axtell and Kayla Baetzel will have on the team though, as Lauer will be looking to everyone on the team to step up with the loss of Julia Brooks to graduation.
“We’ll look to Audrey Worthington, Sydney Austin and Ella Broadhead to be first up in those middle hitter positions,” explained Lauer. “They’ve put in a lot of hard work this spring as the returners.
“What Ashlynn [Axtell] brings to that group is a level of quickness and athleticism.”
Overall, the incoming freshmen class brings a lot of excitement with them as Lauer expects them to make an impact immediately while helping propel the team to the next stage.
“I think they’re a very driven, focused bunch and so that’s going to be extremely valuable for our team this year... We’re really really looking forward to the volleyball experience and overall talent that they’re going to bring to our team. It keeps our gym competitive which is important for us to be successful throughout the season.”
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