BEMIDJI – Ty White is the easiest Bemidji High School boys volleyball player to spot on the court. That's because he plays libero.
Seniors love getting bargains. He led to a big chance for the Lumberjacks in the fourth set against Grand Rapids on Wednesday night at the BHS gymnasium.
“I like digging up other people's good hits,” White said. “I like making them feel bad. For me, digging feels better than anything else in the game. When I stood up at the end, I saw that kid's face drop. That was amazing. I think so.”
Although the audience sees him as a Jacks player who wears a different jersey than the rest of the team, White's teammates consider him a leader despite having as much experience as the rest of the team. I see it as.
White played soccer and wrestled for Bemdigi. Before his senior year started, he thought the fall/winter would be his last. That was until the Lumberjacks adopted boys' volleyball, an emerging phase of the sport, through the Minnesota High School League.
Madeline Hasken / Bemidji Pioneer
White got a taste of playing last year with a club team in Grand Rapids, Bemdigi's opponent on Wednesday, before jumping at the chance to play in a new sport in the spring. BHS teammate Reid Johnson played for the ThunderHawks before Bemidji started the program.
“Reed got me hooked,” White said. “He was trying to find a team, and he found a team. We went to practice together a little bit, but it didn't work out to join the team.”
Like 18 of his teammates, White played in Bemidji's first organized game on April 18 against Proctor/Hermantown.
“It was tough,” White said. “I used to play competitive sports, so I wasn't nervous about my first game. But the atmosphere of the game, I didn't know until I played it. We tried (to recreate it in real life). But I can't do that.”
In the week leading up to the first game, co-head coaches Matt Johnson and Erica Bailey-Johnson revealed to White that he had been named one of the Lumberjacks' captains. White went from finally getting a chance to play volleyball to becoming one of Bemidji's leaders overnight.
“I was a little surprised because I didn't expect something like this to happen,” White said. “It was a great feeling to get that from my teammates. They entrust me with that role. It means a lot to me.”
Madeline Hasken / Bemidji Pioneer
No one but White was caught off guard by White's nomination as captain.
“I think he was surprised that he was named captain, but I wasn't,” Bailey Johnson said. “He's dedicated. When you want a captain, you want someone who arrives early and stays late. You want someone who gives everything and supports his teammates. You want that. Who doesn’t? Thailand has it all.”
BHS continued its strong run Wednesday night, winning the first set 25-11. After losing the second game 25-23, the Jacks rallied and won the final two games 27-25 and 25-23, making it their third consecutive win.
Bemidji is in first place in the Northern Minnesota Conference. While some may be surprised by the Lumberjacks' first-year success, White maintained high expectations for conference opponent BHS.
“We expected to do pretty well,” he said. “Our junior and senior classes, even if they don't have the experience, are still really athletic. We just have athletes all over the floor. I think we'll see a lot more of them play in the next few years. We knew from the beginning that we would be able to compete with the teams around here because we are very athletic and big.”
Madeline Hasken / Bemidji Pioneer
But White didn't expect to beat out three other teams (Proctor/Hermantown, Grand Rapids and Cloquet) for first place by the middle of the regular season.
“I didn't expect to get such good results so quickly,” White said. “I think we just need to keep playing. Keep playing in practice and in games. Because the longer we keep playing, the better this team is going to be.”
White attributed Bemidji's success to a team-first mentality. While experienced players like Johnson rack up important kills, the collective improvement of the Lumberjacks as they look to prove why this program should be around beyond his 2024 season. The focus is on efforts.
“This is my favorite sport,” White said. “The fact that I get to play until the end of my senior year is amazing to me. To be honest, I'm not really sure why it's my favorite. This team is better than any other team I've ever been on. It feels more intimate.”
The Jacks plan to submit a proposal to the school board in the coming months on why the program should continue beyond the club and emerging sport stages. Bailey Johnson is seeking school board approval for players like White to jump headfirst into volleyball.
“That's one of the reasons we feel like this (sport) needs to be an option for kids to play at this school,” Bailey-Johnson said. “It's a really good option in extreme spring weather. I was a multi-sport athlete. I played volleyball, basketball, track and fastpitch, and it's good to give kids as many options as possible. I think so, because they can find something they like, just like Thailand did.”
Madeline Hasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Madeline Hasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Madeline Hasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Madeline Hasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Madeline Hasken / Bemidji Pioneer
