Highland names new volleyball coach as practices begin

The Highland School Board approved the appointment of co-head volleyball coach April Stumpf on Monday, officially placing Stumpf at the helm of the program alongside Kelsey Black after leading last week’s high school volleyball camp.

Stumpf and Black are both familiar with the program’s players, with Stumpf coaching several of the Huskies in club volleyball, while Black led the JV team last year.

Following the resignation of initial co-head coach hire Anne Schlabaugh during the summer, Stumpf had to integrate herself into the program quickly, a process which she says was aided by her familiarity with the players.

“It was nerve-wracking, but also exciting, and maybe a little stressful” Stumpf said of getting hired so late in the summer. “Every day, I just get more and more excited. I feel as much pressure as these girls do, because to me, they’re the most important. It’s not necessarily about the wins, it’s who they are as people.”

After a 4-23 season in 2025, the Huskies are hungry for improvement this fall. Their focus as camp came to an end was on hustle, determination and defensive fundamentals, or as the coaches put it on the team whiteboard, “no free points.”

“They have so much scrappiness and heart,” Black said of the team’s performance in camp. “They just have this desire to go hard, and that’s something I think we lacked a little last year. They just have a little more ‘oomph’ this year.”

Husky junior Kamryn Fink, who leads the team’s returners in blocks, was happy with the team’s energy over the course of camp.

“Everyone has more love for the game, and it shows in the energy of our core, from the seniors all the way through the freshmen,” Fink said. “I think work in the offseason has paid off.”

The Huskies are set to open the year with a pair of scrimmages in the next week, starting with an intrasquad scrimmage at the Highland Fall Sports Kickoff on Friday before traveling to WACO for an IGHSAU Officials’ scrimmage on Monday.