Team Profile: Archbishop McNicholas Rockets

This is a team that made it to the final match in Division III last season earning a respectable runner-up finish to a terrific and loaded squad in Lake Catholic. This result set the stage for potentially big things this season with the return of many of their key players from that team. For that, they come in as the favorite squad to get to the final stage this season in our recent poll for Division 4 garnering just over 48% of the votes. At 15-3 overall this fall, the Rockets are unbeaten in GCL play and come in ranked #2 in the most recent Ohio D4 poll. Here are are some of their key athletes.    The Rockets' biggest offensive threat, Stacey (*pictured) contributes in a lot of ways as a very good six-rotation athlete. She is top-five in the GCL with 130 total kills on the season at a 2.4 k/s average to lead a balanced attack. A first-team all conference selection last year as a freshman, she is one of the premier hitters in the greater Cincy area. She uses her 6'0 frame well to get up and swing aggressively from all over the court while also displaying great range with her ball control and defense.     Hutchinson is also among the top-five offensively for the GCL, averaging 2.1 k/s as her impact this year is much more significant given her increase role and opportunities. She is a nice complement to the offense as she can swing and score through a variety of options. When she gets her feet to the ball on time and balance her pace improves as she can generate good arm speed.     Their best impact in the middle comes from Tierney. She contributes 1.8 k/s on the offensive side but is a huge factor defensively as she leads the GCL in blocking at 4.3 b/m. She is highly active in all phases of her work at the net and provides a lot of energy and floor leadership. Anything the Rockets can get out of their middles in the way of offensive production continues to balance out their pin action well and Tierney is the primary go-to in that aspect.     Schulte leads the team in assists as they have production from two setters in this role this season. At 315 total assists, she is just shy of 6.0 a/s but is among the top three setters in the GCL. With tools to be able to command an offense full-time she makes a big impact through her opportunities to keep their offense scoring at a good rate.     A 1.9 k/s, Perkins is one of five McNicholas attackers among the top-16 offensively in the conference. She is one of only two seniors on the team but provides good competitive experience and presence at the net to contribute either in the middle or at the right pin. Her impact goes beyond her point scoring as she is among team leaders defensively at nearly two blocks per match. She is part of a corps of the Rockets' rotation that can establish big presence with their collective size and skill set to swing and fill up space defensively.

This is a team that made it to the final match in Division III last season earning a respectable runner-up finish to a terrific and loaded squad in Lake Catholic. This result set the stage for potentially big things this season with the return of many of their key players from that team. For that, they come in as the favorite squad to get to the final stage this season in our recent poll for Division 4 garnering just over 48% of the votes. At 15-3 overall this fall, the Rockets are unbeaten in GCL play and come in ranked #2 in the most recent Ohio D4 poll. Here are are some of their key athletes.