Early Season: Three Teams to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Bishop Watterson</em></strong><br>Although having lost some early season matches, Watterson has not shied away from tough competition in the non-conference. They lost an opening match to the defending DI state champs in a very good Ursuline team by a 3-2 result with opportunities to close it out as the set-five score was 20-18. On Friday, they defeated a solid Mason team 2-0 before dropping another tough match to a top team, this time 2-1 to SJA. They rounded out the first week of the season with huge 2-1 victory over Magnificat, a team billed as a favorite to make a deep run at the crown this season. This time the Eagles hung on in a tight final frame for the 26-24 victory. Their top offensive prospects include sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='227803' first='Layla' last='Hoying']. She is terrific on the left side as she has a big arm with good control and power. A pair of juniors, Jesse Musselman and [player_tooltip player_id='152040' first='Macie' last='Moreland'], are also primed to contribute point scoring offensively as the Eagles try to replace their two biggest arms from 2022. A pair of quality setters will likely share this role throughout the season as senior [player_tooltip player_id='139295' first='Maija' last='Eglitis'] (403 assists) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='152357' first='Emma' last='Cloran'] (324 assists) collectively provided good distribution for their 2022 offense that had big potential with each match. Eglitis should eclipse 1,000 career assists within the first half of the season. September 9th is the next significant contest for this team as they play host to perennial favorite Gilmour Academy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Olmsted Falls</em></strong><br>Currently at 7-1 overall, Olmsted Falls if off to a great start in 2023. They lost a lot of fire power from their offense to graduation following a season that saw them go 23-2 overall and undefeated in conference play. A handful of non-senior prospects are leading the way this early season. Junior pin hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='482481' first='Hayden' last='Hess']</strong> leads the team offensively at 3.3 k/s. She has 62 kills on the season including reach double digits in consecutive matches. She has a nice arm in the air and is not afraid to challenge the blockers' hands in front of her at the net. Middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='502118' first='Maya' last='Awad']</strong> is making solid contributions on both sides of the ball. She is averaging 2.3 k/s and 2.3 blocks per contest. The 5'10 sophomore is athletic and uses her physical tools well to get up and swing with good pace and range when on time and balance in the air. Sophomore <strong>Carmen Muzingo</strong> is the third best option as the opposite attacker is seeing an increase in her opportunities as a regular in the rotation. She can take a healthy swing and helps balance the floor through both pins. She has earned a season high of eight kills twice so far in 2023. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='733592' first='Emily' last='Odon']</strong> assumes the setting role and currently averages 9.3 a/s with a total of 185 assists so far this season. She also contributes eight digs per match. Another sophomore, <strong>Addison Koontz</strong> is averaging 4.5 d/s. She engages in the point flow really well and is simple in her reactions and angle production that can create a lot of offensive opportunities for the Bulldogs. With quality early-season wins over Clay and Mentor, Olmsted Falls continues conference play this week versus Avon and Steele.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Seton</em></strong><br>Seton had a quality season in 2022 representing the tough GGCL well in the postseason. With a young corps of arms scoring a lot of points last fall, they are back this season with more experience, efficiency, and depth. The contact and power of 1st team all-league selection [player_tooltip player_id='114583' first='Alli' last='Kirch'] is once again has her among GGCL offensive leaders this early season as she concluded 2022 having terminated 327 kills through both sides of the floor. Middle [player_tooltip player_id='435227' first='Maddie' last='Lambers'] is also establishing herself well as she has earned 35 total kills along with 12 blocks over 14 sets played. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='152054' first='Daisy' last='Cluxton'] has 32 kills while sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='227615' first='Callie' last='Combs'] has 30 kills on a .310 efficiency to go along with 40 total digs. Combs is one of the best sophomores in the league with great athleticism and a complete skill set. Her continued growth is a big complement to the veterans and helps provide depth in their offense. Look for her to eclipse the 208 kills she earned last season. Fellow sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='379749' first='Nattie' last='Slusher'] will also see quality opportunities to contribute offensively this season as well. A pair of setters in senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114576' first='Taylor' last='Grubbs']</strong> and junior <strong>Reagan Miller</strong> are controlling the distribution as they are relatively even in their numbers with 79 and 72 assists respectively to start the season. The best part of this team's effort may be in their defense and ball control as those areas are led by UCLA commit [player_tooltip player_id='152052' first='Sakura' last='Codling'] (*pictured). With 462 total digs in 2022, the junior was an all-league honorable mention selection. She is averaging over five digs per set so far in 2023. With two more non-conference matches this coming week versus Sycamore and Milford, Seton makes final preparations for a huge conference opening match at St. Ursula on September 5th. Mark you calendars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->