OHSAA D7 Northwest Volleyball Preview

It is playoff time for Fall sports in Ohio and as always the Northwest district is loaded with great teams who have a real chance to make some noise on the tournament trail. For this look at the volleyball tournament we will take a look at the favorites but also some dark horse candidates within each region. The Northwest district changed the way they do brackets and seperated groups of teams that used to commonly play in early rounds, the brackets below show two districts that will eventually play in a regional semifinal.

Favorites

There are 2 teams on this bracket that immediately jump out as the favorite to move to the regional semifinals and beyond and those teams are Leipsic and Russia. Both teams have been nearly impossible to beat this season and each are ranked top five in the OHSVCA Final Rankings.

2. Leipsic (21-1)

When your only loss of the season comes in 5 sets to a school ranked top 5 in division 5 (Ottawa Glandorf) you are in a really good place as a team. It starts at the top with experienced head coach Brent Newell who is the PCL Coach of the Year for his eighth consecutive season.  Player wise, the Vikings are led by Danaysia Danzy who has done just about everything possible in her career at Leipsic including three PCL first team selections and two player of the year awards. She is the first player to have over 1,000 digs and kills at Leipsic and has the most kills in school history (now north of 1,500). Danzy leads the Vikings in kills this season with 432 (6.2 per set) but has plenty of help around her too. PCL second team pick Kya Brandt (188/2.6 per set), honorable mention in the PCL Sydney Apple (124/1.7 per set), and fellow honorable mention player Morgan Valdez (95/1.3 per set) all chip in to help the Vikings attack. Apple and Valdez have come alive down the stretch of the season and have helped defensively as well providing a combined 52 blocks (30 Valdez/22 Apple). Distributing the ball is first team PCL Karmyn Brough who within the season eclipsed 2,500 career assists and has 775 this season. The last piece to this BVC and PCL champion puzzle is second team PCL libero Jaelynn Siefer who makes some amazing plays to keep the ball in play and leads the team with 341 digs. Leipsic has only lost 8 sets this season and within those sets are only being outscored by an average of 4 points, meaning an average set loss of 25-21. Leipsic is also really good from the service line having 270 aces as a squad. Freshman Kya Brandt leads the team with 61 aces and sophomore Alyssa Campbell has 43. This team has all of the pieces to make a run to the Nutter Center and take home the regional championship. 

4. Russia (16-6)

Although the Raiders run has not been quite as dominant as the Vikings the third ranked team in division 7 and number one seed in the Southwest district has a very strong case to be considered a favorite to win their district and beyond. Half of Russia's losses come from teams in the Midwest Athletic Conference frontrunners in champion New Bremen, tied-2nd Coldwater, and tied-2nd St. Henry. The Raiders have only lost in a sweep once (Coldwater) and four of the losses (New Bremen, Covington, Anna, and Fort Loramie) went to a full five sets. This experience playing some of the best teams and also the experience of playing games that go 5 sets is extremely valuable come tournament time. The Raiders are balanced attacking wise and have five players who average north of 1 kill per set and are led by junior Hazel Francis who has 282 kills on the season (3.7 per set). Russia is very solid from the service line and have a serving percentage just below 90% and have a team total of 189 aces. The best aspect of the Raiders game is their blocking, teams have yet to figure out how to cleanly attack them. Led by Hazel Francis with 82 blocks (for comparison Leipsic's team total is 66), senior Claudia Hoehne with 48, and junior Ava Gibson with 42 they are phenomenal up front and as a team have 136 denials. The Raiders run a 6-2 rotation (meaning using two setters) and both are very good. Izzi Chapman leads the team with 350 assists and just behind her is Ava Gibson with 318. With their blocking ability and distributing the ball to just about anyone when attacking, Russia is going to be a very tough team for anyone who plays them in the postseason.

Dark Horse Team

This is somewhat of a cop out answer but I am just going to simply choose the field as the dark horse teams, let me explain. I don't know if on paper there is a team that should beat Russia or Leipsic before they move onto the regional semifinals but that is the fun of a dark horse team. I think that Leipsic and Russia will each play a game that goes more than a straight sweep and is a reminder to each team that they are mortal and need to stay locked in during the playoffs. There is no such thing as an easy playoff game and I think that this region shows it. If I had to pick one team I would lean towards Arlington due to playing a tough schedule including a full BVC season but Leipsic took care of them pretty handedly (25-9, 25-9, 25-18), the Red Devils will be looking for revenge in a rematch this postseason. 

These districts are going to be my favorite one to watch as there is a lot of talented teams and there will likely be a lot of matches that will not end in a sweep. I believe that Northwest 3 (the bottom half of the bracket above) is the most competitive and will have a good chance to beat the Northwest 1 representative. 

Favorites

T17. Miller City (16-6)

The Wildcats were PCL runners up with losses to Kalida and Leipsic within the league. It has been hard to find a game in which Miller City has not been in it until the end of a set and the resilience of the team is something really fun to watch. It all starts with a core of veterans such as seniors Libby Erford, Savanna Niese, and Cloe Kuhlman who are all four year letter winners for Miller City. Erford is the teams libero, earning a second team PCL pick, and leads her team with 383 digs. Many of these digs are not exactly routine and Erford tends to dive all over the place and still send a really good pass to one of her teammates to set up an attack. When it comes to who will be the player attacking, it could be anyone on the court for the Wildcats. They have six players who have 1.4 kills per set or higher meaning the ball can come at you from just about anywhere. Sophomore Quincy Moenter leads the way with 198 kills (2.8 per set) and not too far behind her is junior Gemma Otto with 137 kills (1.9 per set). Otto is also the team's best defensive player at the net with 79 blocks and behind her there are a group of four players from 20-40 rejections. The Wildcats choose when to get aggressive from the service line (with a total of 236 aces) especially junior Peyton Michel with 55 aces and sophomore Ava Reichley with 62. Miller City also has beat other top seeds in the district such as Ottoville and Pandora-Gilboa (each in a 3-1 victory). It is hard to beat good teams twice but having a good gameplan to follow that has already been proven to succeed is never a bad thing during a tournament.

T19. Ayersville (14-8)

If there is one thing I wish people would do more of in the sports realm, it is looking further at a stat to truly understand the context of it. Ayersville's eight loss record on a base level does not look good however when you look at the context of who, it becomes clear that the Pilots will be a force to be reckoned with. Their losses are: D7 2. Leipsic (21-1), D5 8. Bluffton (15-7),  D6 13. Fairview (17-3), D7 6.Kalida (17-5), D5 5. Ottawa Glandorf (17-5), D6 5.Tinora (20-2), D6 7. Patrick Henry (21-1), and Wayne Trace (11-11). This Pilots team has been in plenty of situations and is one of the most veteran led squads with seven seniors on their roster. Two of those seniors, Brooklyn Michel and Grace Flory, lead the team in kills with 202 (2.7 per set) and 189 (2.5 per set) respectively. Brooklyn Michel is also the team's leader in blocks with 74 this season. Ayersville takes a more low risk and low reward approach from the service line with a team percentage at 92.3% but only 134 aces as a team. It will be interesting to see in bigger games if the Pilots opt to get more aggressive when serving to produce extra opportunities against good teams. Senior Allison Eldridge (349 assists) and junior Ava Sigler (242 assists) lead the way for the team in distributing the ball. With a first round matchup on the way against Ottoville (we'll talk about them in a second) one of the teams is going to end their season against who they started it facing. On August 16th it was a 3-1 victory for the Pilots but there has been a lot of time for these teams to grow before they play in a rematch that I think will be the game to watch in the sectional finals

Dark Horse Teams

This district is so loaded with talent that I had to pick two teams that I think are going to surprise some people come tournament time.

Pandora-Gilboa (16-6)

The Blanchard Valley Conference runner-ups have a huge chance to display just how good not only they are but how good the Putnam County League as a whole is. The Rockets came in 5th place in the PCL and yet have a strong case to find themselves at least in the district finals, if not even further in the playoffs. Pandora-Gilboa is starting to get hot down the stretch and won eight of their last ten matches of the regular season. If I had to pick a team that got the most favorable draw due to the new group splitting system I would have to pick the Rockets. Now, instead of an early matchup with Leipsic they will host an 11-11 McComb team and with a win would play Waynesfield Goshen (5-14). With a couple of games to regroup after a sweep loss to Kalida in the regular season finale the Rockets would have a chance to get back to their peak form. When you look at PG the first name that sticks out is senior and first team PCL performer Corrin Luginbill who leads the team with 297 kills (4.2 per set). The Rockets have also found their secondary and tertiary options in the form of seniors Nevaeha Alvarado (209 kills/2.8 per set) and Kelsie Carlson (137 kills/1.8 per set). Senior Ava Huffman, the first team PCL libero, is also a huge part to their success this season and potential success in the postseason. Huffman has 456 digs this season and is now the school's all time leader with 1,408 career digs. Huffman is also tied for the lead in aces alongside Kelsie Carlson with 36 and a team total of 207. Senior Cora Hovest is the setter for the Rockets and has 578 assists for the team in her first season in a new role for the varsity squad. Six seniors lead the veteran Rockets who have plenty of big game and tournament experience.

Biggest question: Can Pandora-Gilboa stay consistent?

For any dark horse team they need a level of consistency throughout the tournament. The Rockets have had games where they will dominate a set and then struggle to build back up momentum in the next one. For example, against Liberty Benton the Rockets took the first set 25-13 and were dominant but just two sets later fell to the Eagles 25-20. Volleyball is a game of momentum so these ebbs and flows should be expected but PG has seemed to have an extreme form of these momentum swings.

T16. Ottoville (14-8)

I have used the term "balanced" a lot in this writing but no team is quite as balanced as Ottoville. No libero, no substitutions, and versatility has been the key this season for the Big Green. The only player who has a truly defined rule is junior Briley Wertenberger who is the team's setter with 507 assists but even Wertenberger will take a fair amount if shots and is just below 1 kill per set. Juniors are the soul of this team as outside of senior Adeline Miller, each of their starters are juniors. Leading the way attacking is Kendall Schnipke who has a tally of 321 kills (4.1 per set) and behind her is Vanessa Hilvers with 204 kills (2.6 per set). Hilvers also leads the way from the service line with 42 aces on the season for the Big Green. Ottoville is highly balanced with digs but leading the way is Brooklyn Koester with 298 (3.8 per set). The Big Green is 7-5 within their last 12 matches of the season and are 2-2 in matches that go to a full five sets. I think down the tournament trail it will be important for Ottoville to jump out ahead early into sets and have matches that end early to try and keep everyone on the court relatively fresh. Even with the great athletes on the court, it seems that in games and sets that go long other teams are able to creep back in and take advantage of the team who does not rotate players. The Big Green will have to come up big in some rematches early on against Ayersville and potentially Miller City but it could prove difficult to beat Ottoville twice within a season.

Biggest question: Does Ottoville have a rotation player or two?

A pair of freshman in Kendall Hohlbein (25 sets) and Fiona Verhoff (7 sets) who have got some action this season. Ottoville does not necessarily need extra players to make a nice run, but I think it would be a huge help to their playoff hopes. Even if it is just a player coming out to take a quick breather for 1-3 points, that will add up over the course of a game, especially one that goes more than three sets. As stated above, Ottoville needs to jump out ahead early if they want to find success as is. However, some players getting to take a quick break could lead to some more late set stamina. Again, I do not think they NEED a rotation to make a run, but it certainly would not hurt their chances.

Favorite

Each regional semifinal matchup thus far has had two favorites and dark horse teams. This one is going to be different for reasons I probably do not even have to say but one team has been so dominant that I can not justify putting another team (even if they are really good) on their level. That team is of course.......

1. Tiffin Calvert (22-0)

I am really not sure I have to say much about just how dominant the Senecas are when it comes to volleyball but for those of you who do not follow them here are some numbers that best showcase their dominance. 100-6 is the overall record for the senior class over their entire four year career. This includes three district championships, two regional titles (lone regional loss in 2022 to Crestview in semifinals), and two state runner up trophies. The scary part for other teams is that all signs point to this being the most dominant team the Senecas have had in that four year span. Tiffin Calvert has only lost 4 SETS this season (9/13 vs Bishop Watterson 27-25, 9/22 vs Tiffin Columbian 29-27, and 10/13 vs Ross 25-19/25-18). For most of the season they have had a team hitting percentage that was at or above .300, it now sits at .295 which is still an amazing number for a high school volleyball team. When you look deeper at the team and look at the individuals for this year's team, the numbers continue to look phenomenal. There are 5 Seneca players who have 1.7 or more kills per set but leading the way is junior Bella Borgio with 256 kills (3.8 per set) and also senior Emily Miller who has 171 kills (2.6 per set). Junior Bryn Dircksen is the setter who has been spreading the ball around and has 660 assists within the regular season. The Senecas are aggressive when serving with 288 aces, about a quarter of them come from sophomore Gracie Miller who has 71 aces and averages over one per set. Maybe the most scary part about this Senecas team is the fact that they only have three seniors on their roster and every stat besides digs (Claire Schoenberger with 230) is led by an underclassman. There is a reason Tiffin Calvert is a nearly unanimous number one team. The Senecas will look  to add to their list of accolades for seniors "state championship", the one thing that has alluded them in this four year span of dominance. 

Dark Horse

6. Kalida (17-5)

In any other regional semifinal matchup Kalida would find themselves as a favorite but this pick is less about Kalida's ability and more about Tiffin Calvert's. The Senecas have been ranked number one in the OHSVCA poll in every single installment and their first place votes are only continuing to go up. However, the Wildcats are not a team I think anyone is going to want to come across in the tournament. It all starts with the PCL player of the year and future Rutgers Scarlet Knight in Malia Romes. The 6'4 senior is Kalida's all time kill leader with 1,303 and counting. This season Romes has 366 of those kills (5.1 per set) but Kalida has a pair of other really good options in junior Addy Huber (179 kills/2.5 per set) and Malia's younger sister and freshman on the team Valarie Romes (89 kills /1.2 per set). The Wildcats are stout at the net with senior Kendal Krouse (73 blocks) and Valarie Romes (69 blocks) who down the final stretch of the season felt like they were involved in every play. Just like some teams above, Kalida has two primary setters in the form of senior Isabel Recker (334 assists) and freshman Gwen Stechschulte (297 assists) to distribute the ball. The Wildcats have a pretty deep rotation and will substitute a lot of players in over the course of a game. Within these substitutions there are a lot of players that coach Kayla Mathew trusts to serve for the Wildcats. Addy Huber leads the way with 52 aces and junior Sophie Vorst is in second at 46 aces, outside of them Kalida has 5 players  north of 20 aces and 239 as a team. Junior Carlie Siefker is the team's libero and has an even 280 digs. The Wildcats were the runner ups in the Putnam County League and will look to show just how good they are. When Kalida is on they are a tough team to beat, as evident in their nine game win streak in the middle of the season which included wins over Miller City, Liberty Benton, and Fairview. The team to prevent the double digit win streak was one of the best in the state in Russia, but Kalida played a full 3 set match with them (in season tournament is a best of 3 match). Kalida has the talent to make a really fun run and maybe even surprise some people with what appears to be a collision course with the Senecas.

Biggest question: Can they continue to get better?

As stated above, Kalida has plenty of talent to win volleyball games but they will almost certainly have to play the consensus best division seven team in the state of Ohio. Because of this, the Wildcats need to find a way to improve and get even better than the team they are at the end of the season. Players like Addy Huber and Valarie Romes are going to need to take the next step in attacking to make sure the Senecas have a gameplan more complex than shutting sown Malia Romes and not having as much fear for other options. At the end of the day, I think Kalida has the ability to pull off an upset but it will have to be the best game the Wildcats have played this season.

Read more articles by Chase Dettrow