A look at DeForest boys' volleyball's start to the season

Only a week into the season, the DeForest Norskies boys’ volleyball team is already six games in.

In just their second season in the Big Eight Conference, DeForest is looking to take another step forward after finishing 3-15 overall and 2-6 in the conference last fall.

And there are many tangible reasons to believe so, because DeForest returns its two All-Conference selections from last season: senior setter/outside hitter Quinn Schwab and junior outside hitter Jackson Meyers.

Quinn Schwab led the Norskies with a team-high 274 last season and earned the Second Team All-Conference nod. Meyers led the Norskies in kills last fall with 166. According to a report from DeForest boys’ volleyball coach Krista Smedema, Meyers set a school record for kills in a game with 17 last season.

Entering the 2026 season, the Norskies are older. Much older. According to the official roster sheet via DeForest Athletics, seven of its 12 players are seniors: Ben Anderson, Eli Atkinson, Tyler Coogan, Connor Johnson, Logan Ketelboeter, Jaxson Potter and Quinn Schwab.

Many of those names, and more, have made an impact.

DeForest officially opened the 2026 season on Wednesday, Sept. 2, in a home match against Sun Prairie United. The Norskies lost in three sets, yet fared well in each set. They lost 31-29, 25-23 and 25-18.

Jackson Meyers led the Norskies on the attack, smashing seven kills, while Quinn Schwab knocked down six kills. Tyler Coogan recorded a team-high seven digs alongside 11 assists, while Quinn Schwab dished a team-high 15 assists.

Senior setter/outside hitter Quinn Schwab knocked down six kills and dished a team-high 15 assists during DeForest’s season-opener against Sun Prairie United last week.

The Norskies then hit the road over the weekend, traveling to Hartford Union High School in a four-game invitational on Saturday, Sept. 5.

DeForest went 1-3 overall.

Their lone victory came in a clean 2-0 sweep over Kenosha Tremper, winning by set scores of 25-20 and 25-14. Their losses came against Hartford (14-25, 14-25), St. Ambrose Academy (23-25, 14-25) and a familiar foe in Sun Prairie United (25-23, 25-27, 11-15).

In their victory over Kenosha Tremper, Tyler Coogan knocked down seven kills on just 11 attempts — a kill percentage of 63.6, according to MaxPreps. As a team, DeForest had 16 kills, with Jackson Meyers and Quinn Schwab recording three kills, freshman Logan Schwab knocking down two and junior Ben Lippit recording one.

Jaxson Potter recorded two blocks, while Jackson Meyers recorded a team-high 11 digs. Quinn Schwab led DeForest in assists with eight.

But the busy week of action wasn’t done just yet.

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, the Norskies traveled to Edgewood in a Big Eight match. While DeForest won its first set 25-22, they dropped their next three sets 25-21, 25-19 and 25-22.

Spearheading the Norskies’ efforts Tuesday evening was a valiant attacking effort from Jackson Meyers, who scored a team-high 15 kills. Meyers currently leads the team in assists with 45 on the year.

Junior outside hitter Jackson Meyers knocked down 15 kills during the Norskies’ 3-1 loss to Edgewood on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Quinn Schwab hit eight kills, while Tyler Coogan had six and Ben Anderson had five.

Eli Atkinson and Jackson Meyers each recorded double-digit digs. Atkinson had 11, while Meyers had 10. Quinn Schwab led the Norskies in assists with 23. He’s up to 78 assists on the year, averaging nearly five assists per set through six games.

Up next for DeForest, the Norskies host Middleton on Wednesday, Sept. 9, before traveling to Kenosha Tremper in a Round Robin Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 12. They’ll return home on Wednesday, Sept. 16, against Madison Country Day.