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Hall of Fame Inductee See Page B-4
September 7, 2015
R E S Sports S
U.S. Olympians on the way See Page B-2
Eastwood strikers tall, athletic, return six starters By Mark Griffin Press Contributing Writer sports@presspublications.com Eastwood and Otsego tend to share the Northern Buckeye Conference volleyball title every year, or one of the two programs wins it outright. Last year, coach Jeff Beck’s Eagles finished second behind the Knights for the second straight year, after winning conference titles in 2011 and ‘12. Entering Thursday’s match at Genoa, this year’s Eastwood squad had yet to drop a single game en route to a 4-0 start. The Eagles defeated visiting Delta and Fostoria in three sets apiece on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Beck, in his seventh season, said the players’ dedication in the offseason set a good tone for this fall. “We had the most kids ever show up to everything we did in the summer, for every event,” Beck said. “We had that dedication in the weight room and in open gyms all summer. A lot of it had to do with the incoming freshmen. A lot of them were coming out. This year, the girls just wanted to be in the gym and wanted to work hard.” The Eagles return six starters, including first-team All-NBC and District 7 performer Mackenzie Albright. The senior libero, a four-year starter, has 45 digs in Eastwood’s first four matches. “I consider her like a third coach, an extension of my staff and me,” Beck said. “She has really developed an understanding of how to build a relationship with me, and that’s not always easy. She has learned what to do to make the environment positive.” The other returning starters are seniors Alyssa Decker and Brianna Hoodlebrink, and sophomores Katelyn Meyer, Hannah Hodulik and Abigail Schroeder. Meyer and Hodulik were second-team All-NBC last season, while Hoodlebrink was an honorable mention selection. Decker, a right side hitter/DS, is a three-year starter and a team captain with Albright. “She is very motivational and positive towards the other girls,” Beck said of Decker. “She’s chipper and upbeat, and you need that when practice is going rough.”
At left, Eastwood senior Alyssa Decker serves, and at right, sophomore Abigail Schroeder (5) sets for six-foot tall sophomore middle hitter Hannah Hodulik (4) in the Eagles' straight set victory over non-league foe Delta last week. The Eagles have not dropped a set in their first four matches to start the season. (Press photos by Russ Lytle/Facebook.com/RussLytle/RHP) Hodulik, a six-foot middle hitter, has 28 kills in four matches and is considered one of the team’s most intense competitors, according to Beck. “When Hannah gets on the court, she is literally just fierce,” Beck said. “She’s intense and it brings some intensity out of some of our girls who need to have it. She was a starter last year and plays pretty much year-round volleyball. She plays on a national team at Premier (in Maumee), and she just owns her middle position. She’s very skilled and knows what it takes to be a good middle hitter.” Schroeder, a setter, already has 105 assists after being groomed for the position by last year’s setter, Jaci Jeurgens. Hoodlebrink, an outside hitter, has 18 kills
and 18 aces in three matches. “She has been our biggest surprise as far as consistency,” Beck said. “She has transformed herself into the girl who wants the ball when we have to get a side out. Being a senior, this is her last shot at a league title and she wants it.” Meyer, an outside hitter, led the team in kills last year and leads the team this year, with 55. “I want her to go out and just continue giving 100 percent effort,” Beck said. “Everything else will take shape with her. We want her to go out and have fun and have kills and not put pressure on herself.” Junior Marisa Launstein starts at middle hitter after playing on the outside on the junior varsity team last season.
“At the beginning it was a rough transition, because middle is a tough position to learn,” Beck said. “The last two weeks, her learning curve has been unbelievable. She looks like she’s been a middle her whole career. She catches on real easily.” Junior right side hitter Madison Provo and sophomore DS Kelley Turk are also pushing for more playing time for the Eagles, who will compete in Division III this season. “We’re excited that we dropped down from Division II,” Beck said. “That’s a nice change for us because we will play some more evenly matched teams. My goals are high, but we cannot go backwards in our training. We’re progressing every time we touch the ball. If we don’t go backward in our training, we can go far.”
Clay ready for Three Rivers after downing NLL schools By Mark Griffin Press Contributing Writer sports@presspublications.com Anthony Wayne. Check. Northview. Check. Clay volleyball coach Dave Conley liked what he saw after the Eagles’ first two matches of the season, wins over AW (three sets) and the Wildcats (five sets). Clay was scheduled to open Three Rivers Athletic Conference action Thursday at Findlay. “We’re playing very hard,” Conley said. “Great effort. We’re playing good defense and playing scrappy. We’re playing a
little bit young, which we are, at times and maybe not putting teams away. It’s early and we’re still building some good habits. I’m really happy with the girls’ attentiveness, and they’re a very coachable young group. Very athletic.” This year’s team has just two seniors and four juniors, and the returning starters are senior libero/outside hitter Maggie Merren, junior outside hitter Mallory Ladd and sophomore outside hitter Maddie Vargyas. “We’ve got a good junior class and a really good sophomore class behind them,” Conley said.
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Merren, who transferred in from Cardinal Stitch last year, has 26 kills in two matches and is playing outside hitter until sophomore Shannon Coughlin returns from a broken thumb. Coughlin suffered the injury in the preseason and just got her cast off, according to Conley. “We’re hoping she gets cleared in a week,” he said. “She means everything. She had a really good winter and probably added four inches over the winter. The sky’s the limit for her.” Vargyas played in the middle last year but has moved to right side hitter in an attempt to “spread the offense,” Conley said.
“Maddie’s got more experience offensively than our younger middles,” the coach said. “We felt like if the younger middles could hold their own, Maddie could move over and spread our offense a little bit better. She’s done a good job with that. She’s a great student and a great leader and the heart and soul of our program.” Ladd, an honorable mention All-TRAC selection last year, has 34 kills in two matches. “She’s stepped up into our top outside hitter role,” Conley said. “She gets the
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Calling All Alumni! Penta Career Center is seeking nominations for its Annual Outstanding Alumni Awards. Q Nominees must have completed a High School or Adult Education program at Penta prior to 2005 Q Applications are available by calling 419-661-6351 or visit www.pentacareercenter.org Q Completed Applications Due: September 15, 2015