On Wednesday night, six area volleyball teams — Bonneville, Hillcrest, Madison, Pocatello, Sugar-Salem and Thunder Ridge — played in a jamboree: four matches lasting one 25-point set, serving as a tune-up before the regular season and allowing the coaches a chance to mix and match their rotations.

Here is what we learned about each of them:

MADISON BOBCATS

After three consecutive state championships from 2022-24, the Bobcats dropped the 6A finale last fall, closing the book on the historic 2026 class. Now, Madison has to reinvent itself a bit with a chunk of the roster departed, but there are plenty of reasons to believe in the Bobcats.

For head coach Keanu Pukahi, it starts with culture:

“It’s a totally different team, but we’re trying to still have that winning culture and not just better players but better people − a type of culture for our girls and for the team at Madison,” Pukahi told the Post Register.

“It’s different, but a good different,” he continued.

Despite those differences, seniors Jonnie Folsom and Cloey Lamph are among the key returners with multiple years of varsity experience. Layla Mortensen, another crucial senior for Pukahi, should help solidify that front line.

Other girls will have to step up, and even if it was from the sidelines or at the junior varsity level in 2025, that 6A championship loss has fueled them through the offseason:

“They felt that sting; they felt that loss that we had at the end of the year,” Pukahi said. “So, they’re coming back with a fire.”

THUNDER RIDGE TITANS

Thunder Ridge experienced a dominant run from 2019-2022, winning a state title in ’19 and routinely finishing among the top teams in east Idaho the following years. However, the program has struggled as of late, going below .500 in two of the previous three years as it looks to return to the mountaintop.

Head coach Keisha Fisher does return five seniors, led by outsides Giulia Johns and Paola Contreras, and Madi Kunz, who played libero on Wednesday, to shepherd this younger group into a new age:

“Not all of them played last year, and honestly, I just want to see them get better, compete. Be great leaders. We have quite a bit of younger kids playing up and I need them to lead and be the example,” Fisher said.

Fisher also spoke about the Titans’ plan to lean on those veterans not only on the court, but in the locker room, on the bus and during practices:

“I want to win, too. But, I feel like if we do all of those little things, the end result will be good,” Fisher said.

SUGAR-SALEM DIGGERS

There is a new face on the Sugar-Salem sideline, but not one who is new to the Diggers’ athletic scene. Athletic Director Jocelyn Hobbs enters her first year at the helm with hopes of getting Sugar back atop 4A volleyball.

Hobbs, who has even more responsibilities on her plate nowadays, credited her staff and the tradition put in place by her predecessor, Tasha Peterson:

“It’s awesome. It’s been super fun,” Hobbs said.

“We’re just trying to build the program again. Haven’t really had a winning season since 2022, and we’re about to change that,” she added.

To change that fortune, Hobbs wants her team to run a faster, quicker offense that highlights her girls’ athleticism. Seniors like Kelsey Palmer, a middle who can do a bit of everything, and three-year varsity setter Sarah Miller will be instrumental.

Watch out for junior Sadie Hansen, too, who has been a “big surprise,” according to Hobbs.

“I want to push the gas a little harder, accelerate a little bit more,” Hobbs said. “While maintaining that small-town feel.”

BONNEVILLE BEES

The Bees could be the youngest team in the area as three freshmen — Ella Arave, Makiyah Carlson and Marlie Kofe — are all expected to play significant roles on head coach Chantal McMurtrey’s squad.

The five-time state champion recognizes there will be growing pains, but she is excited for this youth infusion:

“They’re looking young, but we have a lot of talent,” McMurtrey said.

That means high reps, lots of touches and patience:

“There’s just a lot more attention to detail at practice,” McMurtrey said. “… The speed of the game is a lot faster when you start playing against girls that are four years older than you.”

Meanwhile, junior Ruby Lemon is back for her third go at the varsity level while junior Vespa Trane and sophomore Allie Hall should hold down the middle.

“We have to also kind of be careful to manage their bodies,” McMurtrey said, “because, a lot of them are still growing and we have to be careful not to break them down.”

It may take several matches or weeks, but expect this team to come on strong by the end of the season.

HILLCREST KNIGHTS

The defending 5A state champions have holes to fill all over the court. Yet, head coach Dallas Gines does not expect this current iteration to become that team overnight:

“We’re young and inexperienced,” Gines said. “… So, that’ll be fun. With that comes a little bit of growing pains, right. But, they’re fighters, they’re battlers.”

Winning is addicting, and lone varsity returner, senior middle Tycee Gines, along with the rest of the Knights who step into starting roles, are hungry for more.

Still, the jamboree helped the players get accustomed to this faster-paced game as they prepare for the regular season:

“Get the nerves out,” Gines said.

Gines also noted junior setter Brynlee Cook, who is Hillcrest’s “calm in the storm,” as well as sophomore outside Elyn Weatherly and senior opposite Annie Pebley, whose hip injury has kept her out of the action. Now, she gets to enjoy her senior year on the court.

It will not be a one-girl show; rather, everyone will help out and try to keep the Knights at the summit of Idaho volleyball:

“Just do your job and contribute. That’s a big thing at our gym is everybody has to do their job,” Gines said.

POCATELLO THUNDER

Despite winning 20+ games in each of the last three campaigns, Pocatello head coach Paige Leatham still feels like an underdog. Nobody had expected their run to the state tournament in her first year, and joining the 5A High Country Conference provides them an opportunity to solidify themselves among east Idaho’s top programs:

“We’re wanting to be really competitive,” Leatham said. “… Moving our names from underdog to competitors this year.”

The core is led by seniors Lainey Rodgers and Addie Gregory, as well as juniors Taylee Silcock and Addie Merrill, the latter of whom is “running our offense really fast this year,” per Leatham.

While Leatham is certainly focused on this upcoming season, she also knows that with only two seniors, the program can use this fall as a launching pad to learn their conference rivals and keep the winning seasons going:

“We’re more young this year, but I’m excited about our future because we have a lot of depth this year,” Leatham said.

Congrats, opposing coaches, another quality team has joined your conference.