Ohiohsvb.com News About Ohio High School Volleyball |
|
|
The 2003 Season is here..... It has been over a year since I started this website, and I’ve have learned a lot about volleyball around the state by running the site. But I’ve also found there is a lot more that I don’t know. It’s amazing how many talented players and teams there are in Ohio. Part of that is due to growth of volleyball clubs and the exploding interest of players and parents in the sport. Northwest Ohio is really coming on thanks to the Toledo and Premier Volleyball clubs. The number of exciting teams up there has quadrupled, at least, over the past five years. Central Ohio is getting stronger too. Ten years ago schools like Dublin and Lancaster were warm ups for top area small schools. But this year’s Dublin Coffman-Lancaster match will be a battle between two top notch area teams, and will feature Emi Holsclaw who has committed to Mid-American power Toledo against Heather Powers, one of the top sophomores in the nation. Picking the winners this year is harder than last year. For one thing, Divisions III and IV seem more wide open. There are favorites, of course, but not like last year when there were a couple of teams that seemed to be ahead of every one else. St. Ursula is a good choice in Division I, but Cincinnati or Toledo? Division II seems most obvious with defending champion Kettering Alter returning much of their team, but the division looked just as obvious last year when Roger Bacon returned their championship team. My previews are mostly based on what I know about teams from last season, and about players who were not seniors on the teams. My assumption is those players will return. That does not always happen. Sometimes someone I expect to see has moved or transferred. The worst thing is when a player is injured and has to miss their volleyball season. I also get information from coaches and fans, and from what I read in newspapers and on volleyball forums. But Ohio is a large state with about 750 schools playing volleyball. There are lots of good teams and players that I don't know anything about. For fans or players, if I don't mention you or your team, and you think I should, then please consider becoming a Website Contributor. So with that I will take a stab at who looks likely to do well this fall. Division I Any discussion about Division I must begin with the Girls Greater Cincinnati League. The GGCL is solid top-to-bottom. Any team can get hot late in the season and go far in the state. This league’s second place team has won State five times in the past eight years. Seven GGCL teams in this league have been to State recently (including Roger Bacon and Alter who are Division II). Last year, the State Championship match came down to two GGCL archrivals, and Ursuline won it all by avenging regular season losses to league champion St. Ursula. Both teams have lots of talent returning for the 2003 season. If all of that sounds familiar, you probably read my preview last year. I just updated a few things, and changed the names around (in 2001, St. Ursula avenged losses to Ursuline to win the State). This time St. Ursula looks to be the favorite. They return four outstanding starters, including senior setter Bryn Kehoe, senior hitters Beth Gillming and Beth Shelton, and junior hitting sensation Maggie Schmelze. All of these four play for Team Z, and the seniors were on the 17s team that has won the National Open two years in a row. But don’t count Ursuline out. It’s true they need to replace their setter, but does anyone believe they won’t? And they have a wealth of hitters, including Stephanie Blackburn, Jenna Staun, Erin Kanetzke and Carli Reihman, plus defensive specialist Melissa Zens. With a strong setter this team can go dukes with anyone. Mt. Notre Dame could be a darkhorse. Most of their team returns from last year, including Team Z hitter Danielle Meyer. The Cougars won the Stow Invitational last year, but had trouble winning against GGCL teams, and finished 11-11. Meyer and Kehoe were selected for the USA Youth National Team that recently finished fourth in the world at the FIVB Girls' Youth Volleyball Championship held in Pila, Poland. Mother of Mercy and McAuley both have strong hitters. Liz Holmes and Tricia Meyers lead Mercy, while Jami Torok spikes for McAuley. Seton lost most of their starters to graduation, but their freshman team won the GGCL last year. Getting away from the GGCL, Oak Hills looks like a solid contender. They have most of their team back from last year, including hitters Julie and Elaine Walroth who also played for Team Z. Oak Hills almost beat Mercy last year and should be even stronger this time around. Then there is Mason, which is known for girls basketball. Well, Nicole Britenriker, who played for Team Z, was third leading scorer for the USA Team in Poland. So now Mason is also known for girls volleyball. Springboro is led by Brandie Molnar, yet another member of Team Z. Chaminade-Julienne moves up to Division I this year, and they have one of the top junior hitters in the nation in Stephanie Ross. Vandalia Butler was hard hit by graduation, but one of the state's top setter/hitters in Chelsea Noble. Piqua returns middle blocker Allison Ortlieb and outside hitter Megan Rasor. A player to watch is Centerville's sophomore setter Sara Sheers. There are a lot of other strong teams in southwest, including Lakota East, Lakota West, Dayton Carroll and Kettering Fairmont.
Turning to the northwest, the Toledo area is fast becoming a hotbed of volleyball. In days past there might be one or two strong teams from Toledo, with the remaining challengers for the region coming from the Elyria-Cleveland area. Not any more.
Toledo does have one very strong team in St. Ursula that stands ahead of the rest. The Arrows may be the most powerful team ever to come out of Toledo, or all of northwest Ohio for that matter. They have arguably the best hitter in the state in Sarah Florian.
In case you want to argue, Florian was the floor captain of the United States Youth National Team. There were three Team Z players on that team. And, Florian has committed to play for USC in 2004. That’s the team that dethroned Stanford last year.
Also returning for the Arrows are outside hitter/blocker Kelsey Hills, libero Sydney Antonio, 5'6", setters Jessica Dominiak and Allison Mugler, middle hitter Brittany Fox and sophomore twins named Florian, Emily and Allison to be specific.
With this many stars the Arrows team should make their fourth straight state appearance. But the road to the Nutter Center will be pocked with potholes.
Bowling Green is loaded with talent in the likes of Elizabeth Simon, Chelsey Meek, and Lauren Henning.
Perrysburg has a contingent of strong seniors, including Sara Hughes, plus junior Kate Fissel.
Some of Findlay’s players turned heads at club tournaments last spring. They have three big hitters, and rumor has it Allie Niecamp will be the setter. This could be a very powerful team.
You don’t usually see a great match in Sectionals. But last year Perrysburg beat Findlay in the first round 16-14, 6-15, 15-7.
Anthony Wayne (Callie Miller) and Northview (Nikki Pierzchala and Brooke Amstutz) figure to challenge, as do Clay, Fremont Ross and Central Catholic.
Assuming the Arrows get through the District, they will have the usual Cleveland area powers to contend with. Magnificat has to replace their setter, and they probably will. Meanwhile, Mary Kate Glowe will provide lots of offense, and Anna Guadiz will lead the defense.
Last year St. Ursula beat Magnificat 16-14, 15-12 at the Regional
Elyria is always strong and this year should be no exception, with the setting in the capable hands of junior Kate Verhoff. Amherst Steele also has a strong setter in Mel Snyder.
And Mansfield Madison is going to end up somewhere in this mix. The Rams, who are led by Kelly Campbell, move up to Division I this year. Don’t pay any attention to their being a “small” Division I school. In 1997 Madison won the Division I title by upsetting defending champion Seton, then beating Stow in the final. In the northeast, Mentor made the Final Four last year with solid two game wins in the Regional over Austiontown-Fitch and Solon. With have four starters back, including 6'6" junior blocker Megan Skouby, they look like the favorite. Solon will be a contender again, with senior middle Emily Lucci and junior outside Sarah Kaczuk. So will Fitch with hitter Maggie Case and setter Stacie Mang back for their final year. Another possibility is Wooster, who battled Solon to the wire last year. Traditionally, Stow, Massillon Jackson and Canton GlenOak are contenders. Whoever wins the northeast will have their hands full at State. Mentor scored only two points last year against Ursuline. Solon scored ten points against Vandalia-Butler at Mercy’s Fall Classic. They also were beaten by McAuley, who went winless in the GGCL. In the Columbus region, this might be Dublin Coffman’s year. The Shamrocks are led by senior Emi Holsclaw who recently committed to Toledo. Hilliard Darby has almost everyone back, including setter Emily Ruwe and hitter Katie Swope. The Panthers hope to challenge Coffman. However, at Districts they will also need to keep their eye on Hilliard Davidson. Lancaster will be very young. But sophomore Heather Powers, who started on last year’s powerhouse team, is rated as one of the best in the country. And she will be surrounded by talent. Bishop Watterson lost a lot, but has 6’1” Lynsey Warren back. Last year she was a setter. They also have another setter this year, Elise Krieger, plus outside hitter Kelly Widders. As usual, they reload. Once the season starts, expect a couple of other Central teams to emerge as contenders, such as Westerville South. As was the case last year, the southwest region will send a team to the Columbus regional. That is likely to be St. Ursula or Ursuline. But hey! Last year Lancaster took St. Ursula to the wall before an enthusiastic overflow crowd, before finally bowing out, 15-12, 4-15, 13-15. And Watterson gave St. Ursula a mini-scare in the final, losing 2-15, 15-17. You can rest assured that the only fans cheering for the Cincinnati team at the Columbus regional will be their own. And on any given day…. Division II It will be very difficult for anyone to upend Archbishop Alter this year. I said that last year about Roger Bacon, and Alter upended them. But this time it will be harder. Last year Alter had a team of juniors who had played together. They had not been able to beat the seniors who played for Bacon. This year Alter has the seniors. They are led by setter Ali Hausfeld and hitter Carrie DeMange. Both have committed to Duke, where they will join former Girard hitting sensation Tealle Hunkus in 2004. After what Alter did to Norwalk and West Holmes at the state last year, they look unstoppable. For the record, they held their state semifinal and final opponents to a total of six points. And in case you are looking to next year, Alter’s freshman class may be their strongest ever. That will give them some added depth this year. But there are potential stumbling blocks and some of them are in Alter’s region. Roger Bacon is one. The Spartans have been blessed with great setters over the years, and it looks like they have another one, with sophomore Katie Veatch expected to take over the play calling this season. She will be joined by a number of talented sophomores. Jessica Hoeh was a member of the Cincy Classics 16s team that won Nationals in Club this year. McNicholas could be a surprise. The Rockets went 14-9 last year, playing the typically brutal schedule that all GGCL teams must face. They did this with a very young team. McNicholas will be led by senior setter Julie Lach, junior hitter/setter Katelyn Reber, and sophomores Lauren Schaller, Katey Schroeder and Sara Staubach. With the exception of Lach, these players range from 5’11” to 6’2”. Both Roger Bacon and McNicholas will be battle tested by tournament time, and each will have had two looks at Alter. And Purcell Marian, yet another GGCL team, has starters with varsity experience, including setter Ashley Sanderfer. Last year they beat #2 seed McNicholas in the first round of the Sectional 12-15, 15-13, 16-14. Ben Logan graduated several starters. But middle hitter Nicole Fawcett will be back, once she finishes playing for the National Youth Team in Poland. I was told Kenton Ridge has most of their team back, and they look strong. They lost to Urbana in two in Sectionals last year. Other teams in southwest would be contenders in other regions. Teams like Bellbrook, Eaton, possibly Milton-Union. Kings is trying to move into contention. The Plains Athens will probably grab one slot in the southwest regional. Geographically they are from the southeast but are in southwest region. In the northwest, several teams have a shot at getting to State with no clear cut favorite. Norwalk has outside hitter Tiffany Mulder back. Bellevue, Fostoria and Galion are other possibilities from the Northern Ohio Conference. Clyde is usually strong too. Eastwood is also a consistent contender. Last year the Eagles knocked unbeaten Canal Winchester out and took Norwalk to the wire at regionals. Middle hitter Whitney Hartman and setter Karli Loomis are back. Defiance has a marquee player in sophomore Rachelle Haggerty. Ottawa-Glandorf and St. Mary’s are expected to challenge. Celina could be back too. Last year in Districts, Celina beat St. Marys 15-12, 15-11 while Defiance topped Ottawa-Glandorf 15-9, 15-8. Celina then beat Defiance 15-13, 15-6. Norwalk nipped Celina in the Regional Semifinal 7-15, 15-9, 18-16.
Maumee has four All District players returning, Laurie Schade, Angie Westenkirchner, Lisa Galvin, and Mikki Sutherland.
Big Walnut looks like the favorite in the Columbus area, with setter Kim Novak and outside hitters Diana Dupler and Kelly Murray. DeSales will be led by outside hitter Talisa Kellogg. Alisha Dials returns for Canal Winchester, who plays in Toledo St. Ursula’s tournament on August 30. The northeast region encompasses the Cleveland area and extreme northeast Ohio. I look for Lake Catholic and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin as the teams to beat. The Cougars return all their starters except Jessica Sabath. Even without Sabath the Cougars could be stronger than last year, what with all the senior talent returning. That often happens when a team loses only one hitter, even one the caliber of Sabath. Lake will be led by setter Alex Shinhearl and hitters Jamie Matthies and Vaiva Laniavskas. NDCL came on strong last year. They lost to Lake Catholic in the District Final 12-15, 9-15, but played without injured middle hitter Annie Zakelj. She's back, and with several other returning NDCL just might be the top Division II team in the area. Kenston also came on strong last year. With only two seniors they notched wins over Solon, Wooster and Stow, and they beat Villa Angela-St. Joseph and Walsh Jesuit in Districts. Kenston's setter is Erin Slattery. Walsh Jesuit and Hubbard are usually strong but will need to reload. Rocky River needs to replace their starting lineup. Hubbard is a perennial power but lost two stellar hitters. Cortland Lakeview may be a possibility, although NDCL ousted them last year. Canal Fulton Northwest is another candidate. Moving to the east, West Holmes looks like the favorite. West Holmes will be led by jumping jack middle blocker Tristen Dye and setter Morgan McDowell. Junior transfer Mandy Humphrey will provide some much needed height. Some people think Tallmadge is going to be very strong this year. Archbishop Hoban and Tri-Valley are possibilities. A player to watch is Mogadore Field’s Tracy Reschke Division III Division III is harder to predict this year. Huron and Jonathan Alder each lost top players to graduation, with Alder losing four. And Division III lost Sidney Lehman to Division IV. The Division looks wide open as of now. Huron has a strong nucleus returning, including setter Megan Borgelt and hitter Amanda Fox. So they are a slight favorite. But Huron is in a tough region. Margaretta has a good nucleus back in sophomore middle Micki Kuns, setter Kendra Orwig, and defensive specialist Betsy McGory. Genoa looks to challenge with twins Laura and Sarah Gerkensmeyer. Wynford lost their top starters, but the website forum buzz is they have a strong athletic team coming up.
Lima Central Catholic will be tough with middle hitter Katie Fisher and setter/hitter Stacey Niemeyer. ,
Three Cardinal Stritch sophomores made All-District last season, Kristen Ameling, Kelcee Evans, and Justine Brandt.
Archbold, which always fields a good team. Mohawk and Lagrange Keystone are possible challengers.
In Central District, Marion Pleasant has a very talented and young team that includes junior setter Rachel Bennett, 5'9" and junior hitter Erin Kume. However, Kume and two other players are injured and their status is in doubt.
Alder could surprise some teams. Senior setter Jodi Palmer is as athletic as they come and looking to play in college. Senior outside hitter Jaclyn Yocum is out with an injury, but should come back to play strong. Both traveled throughout the summer. Also look out for sophomore Katie Troyer 5'11" who played a strong season with Central Ohio Volleyball Club at middle.
Newark Catholic moves up to Division III this year. They play a tough schedule and are always a threat.
Elgin and River Valley are also traditionally strong. Elgin has some very good younger players, including freshmen hitters Jocelyn Ute and Kalie Denton, sophomore setter/hitter Amanda Worstell and sophomore Jessica Welch.
Fairbanks has a lot of seniors and will have to be reckoned with by other Central District teams. Columbus School for Girls has most of their team back and could be a surprise.
In the southwest, Versailles may be the toughest with setter/outside hitter Cheri Stamman and outside hitter Kara Hemmelgarn back for their senior years. The Cincinnati Enquirer picks Reading as a team to watch. Versailles ousted Reading last year.
Anna has several good players back including setter Michele Nagel, and hitter Emily Elsass.
Rumor has it Rockford Parkway may be ready to move back into contention. Parkway won back-to-back state titles in 1996 and 1997. Coldwater is also a possibility.
Tuscarawas Valley is loaded for another run in the Southeast. Junior setter Audra McCoury is back along with middle hitter Amanda Hartline and defensive specialist Ashley Baker.
Wheelersburg figures to be strong again, along with Westfall and setter Kelsey Sewards. Eastern Brown with setter Korie Andrews is hoping to advance this year. In last year’s Districts Wheelersburg ousted Eastern Brown 15-1, 15-9, then Westfall ousted Wheelersburg 16-14, 15-11. Shenandoah, who lost to Coshocton in the District Final, may be also back again. The only team I know about in the southeast is Tuscarawas Valley. They were impressive at State last year. Setter Audra McCoury and middle Kira Redinger return for the Trojans. West Lafayette Ridgewood is a possible threat. In the northeast, Villa Angela St. Joseph and Orrville move back to Division III this year, and that is bad news for the rest of the region, and possibly the state. VASJ, who won State in Division III two years ago is led by 6’1” middle hitter Meg Odonnell. I have not seen Orrville, but have heard they are loaded. Girard returns four starters, including setter Erin Stevens and middle Kristen Ragozine. Look for sophomore outside hitter Courtney Madden to make some noise. Lutheran West will be led by middle hitter Jessica Moses and setter Karla Everhart. Regina counters with middle hitter Colleen Walsh.
Wellington and Smithville should also contend in northeast. Division IV Division IV is like Division III this year in that there are no overwhelming favorites. Norwalk St. Paul, Marion Local and St. Henry all lost heavily to graduation, and all but St. Henry lost their coaches. Centerburg lost some to graduation too. But all four teams figure to be contenders for the title. Further complicating the picture, Division III Runner-Up Sidney Lehman moves into Division IV this year. And they also lost a lot to graduation. Meanwhile, Frankfort Adena also moves into Division IV, and they did not lose a single starter to graduation. We will start with the Midwest Athletic Conference which has four strong Division IV contenders. If the District is paired like last year, only one of these teams will survive to the District Final. Senior middle hitter Robyn Hoying is back at Minster, while Fort Recovery returns setter Joscie Kaup and 6’1” middle Briget Metzger. Both teams looked strong last year and figure to be better this time around.
But St. Henry is reloading with the likes of Lyndsay Puthoff who is a teammate of Nicole Fawcett on Team Atlantis. The Redskins will be gunning for their eleventh straight MAC crown.
And Marion Local is also reloading. They have a new coach Amy Kucharski who comes from the very successful Vandalia-Butler program. Plus they have several players moving up from junior varsity, including Jenna Barhorst.
Whoever wins this District is a slight favorite to go all the way.
Elsewhere in the southwest, Covington has their entire team back, including setter/outside hitter Carolyn Ciriegio and middle hitter Maria Otte. They were District Runner-Up last year losing to Fort Loramie.
Speaking of which, Fort Loramie has two outstanding sophomores this year in 6’2” middle blocker Leslie Hoelscher and setter Courtney Reed. Jackson Center will be led by setter Cara Metz who had over 400 assists last year. Fort Loramie ousted Jackson Center in Regionals 15-4, 15-10.
Springfield Catholic Central will be led by All-Ohio setter/hitter Molly Spencer.
Williamsburg has moved to Division IV this year.
In the Northwest, Convoy Crestview has most of their team back. They lost a heartbreaker to Coldwater in Division III Districts last year. Northwood has five starters back including setter Stacy Kozina. Three other players who made Honorable Mention All-District are back: Amanda Ager; Meryl Smith; and, Lindsay Reckley. Ayersville should be a contender with First Team All-District Kelsey McDonald and Julie Brown returning along with Second Team Amy Carnehan, Hitters Kara Kohlenberg, Ashley Fry and Whitney Magers return for Old Fort. Hopewell Loudon could be competitive this year. Last season they started two freshmen and two sophomores. Gibsonburg still has a Wonderly as in Betsy, along with Mallory Fleming Centerburg is the frontrunner in Central District, especially with Newark Catholic having moved up. However, Centerburg graduated some key players last year. Their strongest player was hitter Ami Stevens and she is back for her final year before she leaves for Ohio State. Shekinah Christian may be more of a threat this year. Fisher Catholic will challenge with setter/middle hitter Jackie Helm and middle hitter Audra Vucic. With Frankfort Adena moving into Division IV, Southeast Region should be more of a challenge this year. Adena sometimes has great records and then does not do well against Central teams. But this year could be an exception, because they have their entire starting lineup back from a team that went 24-2 last year, losing to Coshocton in Regionals 15-12, 16-14. This could be a stronger Adena team than we’ve seen for awhile. In the northeast, it’s between Norwalk St. Paul, with Megan Centers; Windham with Ali Roach; Kidron Central Christian; and Buckeye Central as the teams to beat.
|
|
Copyright © 2002-2007 [ohiohsvb.com]. All rights reserved. |