New rotation working for Carrington, not the rest of the state

Oct. 31—CARRINGTON, N.D. — The Carrington volleyball team has beaten every team it has played this year — at least once.

“We dropped two matches to Langdon early in the season, so I was really excited to get another shot at them at the Des Lacs tournament,” Carrington head coach Kadyn Mehring said. “By that point, our new rotation was starting to come together, and I knew we were capable of beating them.”

With the new rotation in place, Mehring’s squad defeated Langdon, and they haven’t slowed down since. Currently the Cardinals are 4-0 in Class A, Region 2 play and 16-0 on the regular season.

“Our goal is to win the region and earn a trip to State,” Mehring said. “We fell short of that last season, and I think that has motivated this group to come back even stronger. We know we have the talent to accomplish something special, but talent alone isn’t enough. We need to continue improving every day and make sure we’re playing our best volleyball when tournament time comes. Ultimately, we want to put ourselves in a position to finish what we couldn’t last year.”

In her second year, Mehring had 26 athletes come out for the 2026 season. Two of the athletes — Aniston Hoornaert and Harper Kollman —were named to the 2025 NDHSCA Division A All-State Volleyball Team.

“We have a very talented team, but what makes them special is how much they care about one another and how badly they want to see each other succeed,” Mehring said. “They push one another in practice, compete hard, and are willing to put in the work. We also have a lot of offensive weapons, which makes us difficult to defend. Our girls have bought into what we are trying to do, and they continue to find ways to compete and win.”

Hoornaert, a junior setter for the Cardinals, has surpassed 2,000 career assists this season. Mehring said the accomplishment is a testament to the junior’s hard work and dedication.

“She’s constantly looking for ways to improve and make the hitters around her better,” Mehring said of her setter. “Aniston has taken on a big role for us this season, not only running our offense as our setter but also stepping up as a middle blocker. That’s a lot to ask of a player, and she’s really embraced it.”

Mehring said one of her favorite things about her setter is Hoornaert’s coachability.

“She’s always coming to me asking what she can do better or what she should be working on,” Mehring said. “She takes a lot of pride in getting her hitters a good ball and putting them in the best position to be successful. I think that says a lot about the type of teammate she is, because even when she reached an incredible milestone of 2,000 career assists, the first thing she did was give credit to her hitters. She brings such a positive attitude and great energy to our team, and I’m really proud of the way she’s stepped up and continued to grow this season.”

A mid-season change in rotation has made Hoornaert adjust to a new position on the floor but Mehring said the second-year setter, and the rest of the team, have embraced the change and are performing even better than prior to the change.

“Aniston has adjusted incredibly well to setting out of the middle position when she’s in the front row, becoming a great middle blocker while still getting into position to deliver a great ball to our hitters,” Mehring said. “Moving Harper (Kollman) and Calleigh (Hewitt) to the right side has given us a strong block against opposing outsides while creating match-up problems with two of our strongest hitters attacking from the right. It’s been impressive to see how quickly everyone has adapted and excelled in their new roles.”

Kollman led the Cardinals in total kills with 319 in 2025. In the back row, she popped up more than 500 digs and delivered 35 aces. She made 27 stops at the net. Kollman is currently leading all Carrington attackers with 245 kills. She has made 316 digs, 19 aces and 16 blocks. Hewitt is sitting at 173 kills and 115 digs with 43 blocks and 33 aces.

“We knew moving Harper and Calleigh, two of our strongest hitters, to the right side would create problems for opposing teams, but it also meant Marah (Johnson) and Mya (Neis) needed to step up on the left,” Mehring said. “With Mya only being a sophomore, we were asking a lot of her, but she has developed into an absolute weapon, and Marah has been just as dangerous. Both have become hitters we can rely on to put the ball away. Having four legitimate offensive threats across both pins has made us a much more difficult team to defend.

“Maara (Kutz) has been an absolute force in the middle,” she said. “When she gets a hold of a ball, she can bring the entire gym to its feet. She rounds out our five hitters and gives us another powerful offensive weapon that makes us so difficult to defend. … I tell the girls all the time how special it is to be part of a team with this many talented hitters. It’s rare to have five girls who can all take over offensively, and I hope they realize how fortunate they are to play alongside one another. It’s what makes this group so exciting to coach.”

Mehring said one of Carrington’s main goals was to create an offense that could attack from anywhere on the court.

“I expect us to continue to be competitive and challenge ourselves against a tough schedule,” Mehring said. “We know we have a special group, and we want to see how far we can take it. We still have areas where we need to improve, and our focus is on continuing to grow as a team so that we are playing our best volleyball when it matters most.”

One of the areas of improvement is the Cardinals defense in the back row.

“Passing and defense are areas where we can keep improving, and being more consistent in those areas will allow us to be even more dominant offensively,” Mehring said. “We also need to communicate, stay disciplined, and continue to compete on every single point. If we keep working hard, hold each other accountable, and trust the process, I believe we can accomplish some really special things.”

Journey Peltier is the team leader in the back row. The senior libero has tallied 208 digs.

“(She) is someone I can always count on defensively,” Mehring said. “Her determination to chase down every ball and find a way to get a touch is something I really admire.”

Carrington swept Edgeley/Kulm-Montpelier on Oct. 26 — a team that is currently 8-0 in Class B District 2 play, 11-0 in Region 1 play and 25-5-1 overall.

Region 2A tournament play will begin on Nov. 9 and will run through Nov. 12 ,but before the region tournament begins, the Cardinals have a couple more key matches on the schedule.

“Devils Lake and May-Port-C-G are two games that will be really important for us as we get closer to the end of the season,” Mehring said. “Both are region games, so we know how important those matchups are and that we will need to be ready to compete. I expect both teams to come in ready to play, and we will need to focus on taking care of our side of the net, staying aggressive and playing together. These are the kinds of games that will challenge us and help prepare us for the postseason.”

Mehring and the Cardinals hosted Devils Lake on Oct. 29 and will end the regular season with a home matchup against May-Port-C-G on Nov. 2.

“We need to stay hungry, continue to trust one another, and never become comfortable with where we are,” Mehring said. “Every team we play is going to want to be the one that beats us, so we have to be ready to compete every single night. We need to keep improving our passing and defense, stay aggressive offensively, and remember that we have to earn every win. Our record doesn’t guarantee us anything moving forward.

“I want people to know that this team is about so much more than our record,” she said. “These girls are genuinely good teammates who care about one another and want to see each other succeed. They work hard, push one another, and bring so much energy and competitiveness to the gym. We have a lot of talent, but the way these girls support one another is what makes this group special. I’m proud of the team they are becoming, both on and off the court.”