Norsemen Eager for Sanctioned Boys Volleyball Season

Boys volleyball to become official MSHSL Sport in 2024-25

HERMANTOWN, Minn.- With a 3-0 record, the Proctor/Hermantown boys’ volleyball team has a lot to be excited about both this — and next — season.

Since the Norsemen’s debut in 2019, they’ve made a name for themselves in the Northern Minnesota Conference. But in the next school year, they’ll compete for the first time as an official high school team with the MSHSL approving boys’ volleyball as a sanctioned sport for 2024-25.

“I’m hoping the kids get the word out.” Said Head Coach Ryan Wright. “We’ll put some fliers out this summer at all the I guess the hotspots. So, you just got to get the word out, I think.”

Over the last three years, Proctor/Hermantown has finished with a winning record. “I’ve gotten to know the kids very well.” said Wright. “I know their weaknesses, their strengths; they seem to work very well when you motivate them as working together as a team.”

“I like how (Coach Wright is) straight up,” says Junior Pham Vo. “(He) tells us the truth and pushes us to be our best.”

Much like many players on the team, Vo picked up volleyball hoping for a different experience. “I thought track was a little boring, so I wanted (a) change of pace.”

Nobody with the Norsemen had more of a change of pace than foreign exchange student Giovanni Serifini, who learned English during the COVID pandemic by watching the sitcom, Friends. He joined the team with some volleyball experience, but knew he had some work to do.

“I played in Italy, and I liked it,” Serifini explained. “But I wasn’t good, and I didn’t really have enough chemistry (with) the people there.”

“He’s just a really good kid. I thought for sure, you know, an Italian coming in, we had a ringer.” laughed Coach Wright. “But his skill level is more intermediate (to) beginner. So, we’ve been working on him as a middle, so he’s making huge progress as a blocker and an attacker.”

“Giovanni, he’s a great guy,” says Vo. “He’s a fast learner. He’s very smart.”

“The team is really nice.” Serifini smiled. “The first time I came here, I was really nervous. And they were really nice. Pham was the first one that came up to me introduce himself, then introduced me to everyone else. So, they’re really nice.”

The Norsemen are currently focused on getting themselves back into the state tournament, but once the summer rolls around, they’ll get ready for their first-ever sanctioned season.

“I’m very excited,” says Vo. “Sadly, we’re losing a couple seniors. But I’m excited for our future year.”

With boys’ volleyball about to get a much larger spotlight in Minnesota, Coach Wright is hoping fans give the sport a fair shot.

“It’s not just a girls sport,” Wright explained. “Volleyball is the fifth (most) viewed sport on the planet, you know? So, yeah, it’s big (laughs).”

Proctor/Hermantown is scheduled to face Bemidji at home on Thursday before closing the regular season with three straight road games.