Recent Ohio Noteworthy Performances

Mike Bryant September 11, 2021 @ 10:22 AM

Some intriguing bits from a recent stretch of Ohio prep volleyball. Top Performers <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="137117" first="Gentry" last="Brown"], an outside hitter from Shadyside, recently had 19 kills is a five-set loss to Shenandoah. She is currently averaging 4.4 kills per set. The 5’8 junior has a big arm and can generate a lot of pace at the top of her jump. The Tigers are 5-2 overall.</li> <li>Nordonia’s Lauren Berger is currently among the state’s leaders in total assists as she has amassed over 300 so far for the 7-2 Knights. The 5’4 junior is averaging 11.4 assists per set and seven digs per match. She has had three matches thus far at over 40 assists including two matches this past week in which she dished out 41 in each contest to help her team claim both wins.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="114449" first="Laken" last="Voss"], a 5’10 senior outside hitter from Steele, had a huge week offensively for her team. In a tough 3-1 loss to Medina she terminated 24 total kills while hitting .346. The Comets rebounded in a big way with a 3-1 win over Olmsted Falls as Voss had a season high 27 kills for an average of 7.3 per set for the match. She was big on the defensive side over these two matches as she had six total blocks and 38 digs. Voss is a savvy attacker as she can score from anywhere and with good range and arm control.</li> </ul> Defending Champions Drop Two Early Mount Notre Dame is highly touted once again as the defending state champions in Division I and with the likes of the nation’s top prospect in [player_tooltip player_id="114445" first="Carly" last="Hendrickson"]. However, MND found themselves on the losing side of two conference matches recently as the Girls Greater Catholic League put the state on notice that they still are one of the premier leagues in the state. St. Ursula Academy was the first to take down MND as they pulled off the five-set upset on the road. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="114568" first="Addison" last="Brus"] led the offense with 15 kills. She has 88 kills on the season and is terminating at 43%. One of the most effective athletes in Ohio right now is senior setter [player_tooltip player_id="114458" first="Sophia" last="Hudepohl"] as she has this offense rolling with balanced distribution and utilizing her options very effectively. She had 47 assists in the win while also picking up 20 digs for a huge line. Senior Annaliese Rammes is proving to be a reliable contributor early this season as she is also terminating at 43%, which includes 11 kills in this big win. SUA has great tradition and is showing early this season that they are a potential contender for a significant postseason run. Seton high school was the next squad to push MND to five and found success late in the final frame to claim the win. They were led offensively by a trio of seniors in [player_tooltip player_id="114448" first="Tessa" last="Jones"] (13 kills), Sydney Stigler (11 kills), and [player_tooltip player_id="114473" first="Sara" last="Bates"] (9 kills). Junior setter [player_tooltip player_id="137171" first="Lydia" last="Rogers"] dished 36 assists on the match. Wayne HS Team of the Week The Wayne Warriors were the focus of an earlier pre-season story following a productive summer of learning and training. This team competes in the Greater Western Ohio Conference among some quality teams in Division I. Coming into the 2021 season the Warriors were winless in 2020 and, according to head coach Sarah Miller, had not won a league match since 2017. Well, that streak has ended. Wayne defeated Springfield in a five-set thriller to earn a signature "W" for this program. They got good offense from two seniors in Samara Wilcox and Erika Reed as both put down 13 kills for the match. Wilcox hit at a .344 efficiency while also collecting 34 total digs to help her team. The Warriors improve to 1-2 in GWOC play and currently sit at 4-3 overall.