Canton volleyball team off to solid start under new coach

During the past 12 months, Jason Krause has done something so rare, it may never be duplicated.

A former club volleyball player at Eastern Michigan University and someone who still enjoys competing in a men’s 50-and-over league, Krause was Plymouth’s freshman volleyball head coach in 2024, the Salem boys club volleyball team coach this past spring, and he was hired as Canton’s new varsity volleyball head coach earlier this summer.

While Krause admits coaching at all three P-CEP schools in a year’s time is unique, his focus isn’t on history, it’s on getting the Cobras to reach their full potential this fall — and have fun doing it.

“My three core values are sportsmanship, having fun and getting better,” said Krause, whose daughter Izzy was a standout basketball and track & field athlete at Plymouth before graduating in June.

“My No. 1 priority this summer was getting to know the girls and building a rapport with them. I understand it takes a while to establish a new culture, but I think we’re off to a good start.”

Nice start to 2025 season

Despite having just five seniors on the roster, Canton has been more than respectable during the 2025 season’s first month, splitting its four Kensington Lakes Activities Association matches and starting 1-1 in the formidable KLAA West Division.

Krause said he’s fortunate to join a program that has a dependable setter like junior Lily Swan running the offense, and senior Abigail Valenzuela and sophomore Alexis Steward as front-row targets for Swan’s feeds.

“I think Lily is one of the best setters in the conference,” Krause said. “She’s one of the smartest players in the league and she’s very tricky with the ball. A lot of times, the opponent’s blockers don’t know where the ball is going until it’s too late. She’s our quarterback.

“Abby and Alexis are probably our strongest hitters, but we have some others emerging. If there’s one thing we need to work on is our passing because better passing means you can run a faster offense, and a fast offense gives the other team less time to set up.”

Intangibles are important

Valenzuela, who was a top player for the Cobras last season as a junior, said there’s a lot to like about this year’s squad.

“I like the communication we share with one another and everyone on the team is very uplifting, both in the gym and outside the gym,” said Valenzuela, one of three captains along with senior Pranavi Akupatni and Swan.

In addition to Akupatni and Valenzuela, the Cobras’ senior class includes Charlotte Williams, Annabel Sweet and Mary Schimmelpfenneg.

Canton’s nucleus of juniors consists of Swan, Aarohi Patel, Taylor Besco, Aubrey Stone, Aylany Newsome and Saanvi Kasarla.

Strong cast of underclassmen

Three sophomores —  Kendall Amick, Maya Turner and Steward — give the Cobras strong building blocks for the present and future, as does freshman varsity player Avery Krum, who was a standout as an eighth-grader at Discovery Middle School.

“I’m still getting to know the team, but I already like our camaraderie,” Krause said. “There’s no drama with this team, which I love.”

Playing in the loaded KLAA West Division can be a daunting task, Krause acknowledged, but it shouldn’t alter his team’s ultimate goals.

“I really want the girls to have fun and make memories they talk about for years to come,” he said. “One of the barometers that will measure our success this season is how well we do against the other Park teams.

“I know the rivalries are huge for the girls. During a scrimmage (earlier this month), they had fire in their eyes playing against their rivals.”

The Cobras will travel to Salem tonight (Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m.) before hosting Plymouth on Sept. 30.