North Adams volleyball camp builds pipeline for future Lady Devils

Building the next Lady Devils

North Adams volleyball is not waiting until high school to shape its next roster. The annual youth camp, held May 18-20, put elementary and middle school girls in the gym with Coach Katie Regan and her staff, where the focus was learning the basics, meeting the people behind the program and seeing the route into North Adams High School volleyball.

For a community that knows what a strong Lady Devils team can mean, that early connection matters. The camp gave younger players a place to build comfort with the game and with the program itself, so volleyball feels familiar long before tryouts arrive. It was as much about belonging as it was about instruction, and that is what makes the camp feel like a pipeline rather than a one-time clinic.

Who learned and who led

The camp drew a long list of young athletes, which shows how much interest North Adams volleyball continues to generate across Adams County. The campers were Aubrie Morrison, Tensley Shelton, Averee Cox, Layla Martin, Kendle Christman, Adia Grooms, Stellar Grooms, Kaylance Collett, Alice Kamps, Mila Kirker, Avery Lahmers, Ashley Dotson, Ambree Downing, Bristol Whalen, Paislee Phelps, Brynlee Whalen, Journey Rabold, Norah Jodrey, Aleah Ormes, Lucy Akers, Madelyn Reckers, Sadie Barlow, Saddie Fannin, Aralyn Emerson, Peighton McCann, Lucy Meade, Julia Crothers and Izzy Grooms.

Just as important, the camp was not led from the top down. North Adams high school players were part of the instruction, showing younger girls what it looks like to stay in the program and grow into it. The high school assistants were Ava Pistole, Emma Pistole, Morgan Wheeler, Elizabeth Raines, Sophia Barlow, Keetyn Palmer, Riley Woods, Melanie Wood, Taylor Lloyd, Journie Collett, Elana Riley, Aydaa Lewis, Zoey Davidson, Lillian Harper, Kylee Moore, Addison Phelps, Marilla Ohnewehr, Adison Downing and Karsyn Pell.

That mix of campers and mentors gives the camp its real value. A young player can hear a coach explain a drill, then turn around and watch a teenager from the same program show how to do it. That kind of access helps lower the barrier to entry for girls who may be trying volleyball for the first time, and it gives returning players a visible path forward.

A camp that has grown with the program

This was not a brand-new idea built around one good season. North Adams has been using youth camp to extend its volleyball tradition for years, and each version has widened the net a little more. In 2025, the camp ran for three nights in late May and was open to girls entering grades 3-7, with organizers saying it drew a record number of campers. That earlier camp also listed Katie Ragan, JV coach Rob Meade and junior high coach DeLaney McCormick among the leaders.

The camp’s roots go back even farther. In 2017, the annual youth camp ran May 8-10 and drew 25 girls from grades four through seven, with 13 high school players helping the coaches. Seen together, those numbers show a steady pattern: North Adams has spent years bringing younger girls into the gym early, then keeping them connected to the Lady Devils identity as they move up.

That continuity matters in a place where school pride runs deep. The camp helps create the kind of familiarity that can keep athletes involved, keep families invested and keep the program strong from the bottom up. It also reflects a simple truth about small-school sports in Adams County: when a program wins, younger kids notice.

Why the pipeline is already paying off

North Adams has given those younger players something to look up to. In January 2025, local coverage reported that the 2024 team finished 21-3 overall and a perfect 13-0 in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference. That season gave Katie Regan her 17th conference title and 11th gold ball trophy, a record of sustained success that few area programs can match.

The accolades kept coming after that. In November 2024, the Southern Hills Athletic Conference named Regan its Volleyball Coach of the Year, and North Adams player Katelyn Boerger was named the league’s Volleyball Player of the Year. Those honors help explain why the youth camp draws so many families and so many young players: the Lady Devils are not just a program with history, they are a program that keeps setting the standard.

For North Adams, the camp is doing more than teaching volleyball skills. It is building a direct line from the youngest girls in the gym to the high school team that represents the school and the community. That is how a strong program lasts, one camper, one mentor and one season at a time.