Volleyball is the #1 team sport for girls in high school across the nation. Within the tri-state area, this trend is very notable. Galena has always been known for the powerhouse of a volleyball program and the coach behind it for the past 20 years has been Dennis Wills. Historically, there have been three teams within the volleyball program: freshman, JV, and Varsity. But with this year’s numbers at an all-time high of 45, reform was needed.
If there’s one thing Galena High School knows how to do, it’s how to run a successful volleyball program. This stems from starting volleyball teams and camps at an early age. The love and skill for the game is instilled in girls from a young age, creating such an appeal to join the Galena Volleyball program. With the Class of 2029 having 84 kids and a large number of them being involved in volleyball, Coach Wills started to come up with a plan. “When we realized the number of girls that would be coming into the program, I quickly began coming up with a plan to accommodate these large numbers,” Wills shared. Wills went to the school board and proposed the idea of having two JV teams in order to give girls the most playing time possible.
After the school board passed this proposal, Wills and Athletic Director Mr. Freed began intently working on the ‘25 – ‘26 volleyball season schedule. Freed shared that, “Coach Wills and I got together back in June of 2024 to start working on a schedule for the following season. Our goal was to make sure that all 4 teams were able to get the most game time possible.”
Spring forward to the beginning of the ‘25 -’26 season, starting in June with open gyms, the coaching staff began working on rosters. They wanted to make the teams as fair as possible while still ensuring each team is at a high competitive level. “Making the decision of who’s on what team wasn’t easy at all,’ said Wills. We have a lot of talented young ladies and wanted to give them each a fair chance at seeing court time, even though it’s non-negotiable.”
Ambition is something that the Galena volleyball program doesn’t shy away from. Taking the easy way out would be limiting the number of girls able to join the program, but they knew there could be other solutions. When Wills was asked what his hopes are for the future of the program, he said, “ Getting back to state is our ultimate goal, but overall to keep playing at our competitive level and keep the reputation of the Galena volleyball program strong.”
