High school volleyball: Autumn King leads Brunswick over Medina

BRUNSWICK — Fall is on its way, but Autumn has arrived. Senior middle hitter Autumn King fired a match-high 10 kills — matching her season best — in leading the Brunswick volleyball team to a 25-17, 27-25, 25-11 Medina County victory over Medina in Greater Cleveland Conference action Tuesday. The 5-foot-8 King had four kills in the first set, three in the second and three in the third, utilizing her incredible jumping ability to put the ball down from all three spots in the front row. She has reached double figures in kills in all four of the Blue Devils' best-of-five set matches. "It took a minute this season for Autumn to recognize, 'You're the girl,' and you have to be our dominant hitter," Brunswick coach Mande Luttner said. "She had moments where she took over last year, but now we need her to shine every single game. "Autumn is perfect for the role because she's so carefree. She just has fun and, obviously, we love watching her do it." King has long stood out on the court because of her amazing hops, trademark long hair and an innate ability to make her teammates smile. This fall, however, she also is one of the three senior leaders for the Blue Devils (3-3, 2-0). King said the responsibility hit her hard during the preseason but is something she is enjoying more by the day. "I've always looked up to the seniors on our team, so it was a really weird feeling knowing they were all gone," said King, who only had two errors in the match. "I play volleyball because I love it and have never been too serious, but in the preseason, I recognized that I had to help different girls get accustomed to the program." Also thrust into leadership roles were setter Camryn Matus and libero Erin Morgan, who continued their strong campaigns against the Bees (2-3, 1-1). Matus stuffed the stat sheet with 19 assists, nine kills, 15 digs, five aces and five blocks, while Morgan was a back-row force with a match-best 21 digs and drilled an ace to put her team up 26-25 in the second. Brunswick totaled 41 kills to 25 for Medina as Morgan, Matus and defensive specialist Ashlie Lieb combined for 45 stops. "It's a wholesome feeling knowing my teammates are counting on me, and I do appreciate them," Morgan said. "Last year, I was more like a cheerleader. Now, I want to make the right pass every time, so our setters can get it to Autumn." Sophomore outside hitter Addison Compton chipped in seven kills and senior outside hitter Kylie Belz had six kills, two blocks and a pair of aces for the defending GCC co-champion Blue Devils. Junior Emerson Sheets added 13 assists. Medina had seven athletes making their debut in the annual home-and-home rivalry, including Lauren Sherman. The sophomore setter posted 13 assists and two kills in an impressive performance. Junior libero Leah McKinley had 19 digs and two aces. "It's always a big game between our schools, and the energy was there for us," Sherman said. "We're looking forward to seeing Brunswick again at our Ace for Grace match and want to get them on our court." Junior middle hitter Alaina Sabol had five of her team-best six kills in the middle set and recorded three blocks, and sophomore middle Olivia Fedor had four kills and three aces. Kiera Szuter, Bridget Campbell and Riley Tabora — all juniors — contributed clutch plays as the Bees rallied from a 21-18 deficit to take a 25-24 advantage in the second. "Medina was really scrappy and their defense was very good," Morgan said. "It was fun to go back and forth." Contact Brian Dulik at sports@medina-gazette.com. Follow @BrianDulik on X.