MISQUAH — Pike volleyball opens Thursday night at home with twenty-two players out across the program and enough returning varsity experience that Coach Leah Peltola has stopped answering questions with “we’ll see” and moved to “ask me Friday.”

The varsity returns six players who saw regular court time last fall, including senior setter Mara Hietala and junior middle Anna Sorensen. Peltola said serve receive has been the most consistent part of August practice and the right side remains the part most likely to change from set to set.

“We are old enough to know what we are trying to do,” Peltola said. “Now we find out whether the ball agrees.”

Thursday’s home opener begins at 7 p.m. with junior varsity at 5:30. The Pike play twice next week, including their first road date.

Cross country has eleven runners out and opens next Tuesday at Sandstone. Coach Mark Koski has seven boys and four girls training together, enough to score a boys team and enough overall that nobody can miss practice without the absence becoming obvious before stretching is over.

Activities director Denny Dahl has posted the full September schedule at the high-school entrance, Sorensen Hardware and First State Bank. He also printed sixty copies for the front office.

Asked whether the copier has been repaired after its August feud with practice schedules, Dahl said, “It has been spoken to.”

All fall athletes move to after-school practices beginning Wednesday. Physicals must remain current, a requirement the office says it has now explained often enough to qualify as tradition.

Football opens Friday. Volleyball opens Thursday. Cross country starts next week.

September has officially run out of room for excuses.