High school volleyball preview: Highland seeks unprecedented seventh straight league title

The gauntlet has been thrown down to Highland middle hitter Kamryn Heldreth, libero Carley Niese and outside hitter Lily Votjko. After playing key roles on the Hornets' sixth straight Suburban League American Conference championship last season, can the senior tri-captains extend their reign to an unprecedented seven years? Highland absorbed a major hit with the graduation of All-Gazette setter Ashley Shefferly and All-Gazette outside hitter Emily Stanik, but the aforementioned veterans are as good a returning core as any in the conference. Three additional seniors — outside hitters Abby Capper and Alyssa Koehler and defensive specialist Ava Andrews — saw action during the Hornets' storybook run to the Division III regional semifinals. "It's going to be an adjustment, replacing the six girls (all rotation players) who graduated and the leadership they provided on the court," Highland coach Laura Merk said. "But we have the potential to do good things because a lot of JV girls are ready to get their opportunity." Sophomore Payton Hrics, a converted hitter, and freshman Emma Tramonte are tasked with replacing Shefferly, who shattered the school record with 1,739 career assists. Merk is confident in their skills, but an adjustment period is expected. With multiple rookies from the junior, sophomore and freshman classes, the same can be said for more than half of the roster. "They're doing really well keeping up the pace at the varsity level," Heldreth said. "It's up to us to help them take the next step." No other Medina County team has won more than four consecutive league titles. Brunswick came close to its fifth in the Greater Cleveland Conference last fall but finished one game behind Mentor. Two-time Gazette MVP Lauren Decker and fellow second-team All-Ohio selection Rowan Kelly of Wadsworth are the top returnees in the county, along with Heldreth and Black River libero Remington Dieter. They comprised half of the 2024 All-Gazette team. Two county squads are on the move after the OHSAA released its competitive-balance divisional alignment. Buckeye and Cloverleaf were bumped up to D-III from D-IV. Brunswick and Medina will experience change in a different way with addition of Lorain to the GCC, which adopted a unique scheduling format in light of the huge talent disparity between its top four programs and the rest. The Blue Devils, Bees, Mentor and Medina will play home-and-home series against each other but only be forced to take on Cleveland Heights, Euclid, Lorain, and Shaker Heights once apiece. All of the teams will compete for the same championship, despite the lopsided schedule. Black River Coach: Courtney Dieter (21st season overall, 175-294 record). Assistants: Paige Lutz, Wendy Dennison, Olivia Rayk. Last season: 13-10, 8-6 (4th in Lorain County League). Key letterwinners lost: None. Letterwinners: Remington Dieter (All-Gazette, sr., L), Morgan Kubitz (sr., S), Kate Dieter (sr., DS), Maryn Biddle (sr., MH), Sydney Czarny (jr., OH), Clare Reisinger (jr., DS), Kristen Mrakuzic (jr., OH), Jenevieve Dieter (so., OH). Newcomers: Tyra Davis (sr., OH), Jessica Blicha (jr., OH), Hailee Moskal (so., DS), Olivia Bailey (so., MH), Avery Biddle (so., OH), Rebekah Miller (so., DS). Noteworthy: Remington Dieter won the OHSVCA D-VI District Player of the Year award, one year after finishing second in the D-III voting. The fourth-year starter should break the county record of 1,526 career digs, needing 326 to pass Brunswick's Emerson Futchko. l Black River has a very solid six-player core of returnees, including multi-year starters Kubitz, Sydney Czarny and Kate Dieter. It also boasts a potential game changer in Jenevieve Dieter, who will be utilized at several positions. l Three-sport athlete Moskal will be a full-time varsity player in the back row. She was a key member of the basketball and track teams as a freshman. Brunswick Coach: Mande Luttner (21st season, 298-191 record). Assistants: Peyton Futchko, Meghan Cupach, Anna Cupach, Lisa Gross. Last season: 16-8, 10-2 (2nd in Greater Cleveland Conference), D-I district runner-up. Key letterwinners lost: Camryn Matus (All-Gazette), Autumn King (HM All-Gazette), Erin Morgan (HM All-Gazette). Letterwinners: Emerson Sheets (sr., S), Ashlie Lieb (sr., L), Lexi Must (sr., DS), Nicole Jurkiewicz (sr., OH), Addison Compton (jr., OH), Madison Miller (jr., OH), Kacie Belz (so., OH). Newcomers: Addison Ivory (jr., MH), Delanie Marcellus (jr., OH), Adayln Sheets (jr., DS), Adriana Chesla (jr., OH), Alexa Doeringer (jr., OH), Sophia Lemmer (so., DS), Alysia Ramos (so., MH). Noteworthy: Matus and King are continuing their careers at Wheeling University, joining former Blue Devils teammate and current Cardinals sophomore Bella DeBarr on the roster. Matus had a school-record 1,678 assists for Brunswick, ranking ninth in county history. l Sheets will be running a 5-1 offense for the first time, but is more than ready for the role and could be the most improved player in the GCC. She shared setter duties as a freshman and junior, in addition to playing libero as a sophomore. l Jurkiewicz, who was effective as a sophomore, is on the verge of being medically cleared after missing the entire 2024 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Buckeye Coach: Erica Repas (1st season). Assistants: Isabelle Masters, Chloe Akins, Danielle Stevens, Steve Borgis. Last season: 11-9, 7-7 (4th in Cleveland West Conference). Key letterwinner lost: Sydney Swank (HM All-Gazette). Letterwinners: Haiden Morrison (sr., L), Nico Anzevino (sr., S), Abi Kirlough (sr., MH), Emma Bostic (sr., OH), Claire Miller (sr., DS), Cammy Shamp (sr., OH), Aurora Allen (jr., S), Katie Csach (jr., OH). Newcomers: Kelsey Morano (sr., DS), Sammie Hart (jr., DS), Erin Salazar (fr., OH), Blakely Herman (fr., MH), Avery Lewandowski (fr., DS). Noteworthy: Morrison collected 611 digs and 111 aces during her first three seasons in the back row, while Anzevino posted 394 digs, 132 assists and 76 aces while primarily playing defensive specialist. Anzevino and Aurora Allen will share setting responsibilities this year. l Salazar and Herman are arguably the two most exciting freshmen in the county. Salazar's older sister Allison drilled a county-record 491 kills two years ago for the Bucks and is a redshirt freshman setter at NCAA D-I member Cleveland State. l Kirlough and Bostic also are being heavily counted on as multi-year veterans as Buckeye plays under its third coach in three years in longtime assistant Repas. Cloverleaf Coach: Rebecca Roupe (4th season, 38-32 record). Assistants: Jim Vaughn, Erica Benson, Abby Sczpanski. Last season: 10-13, 7-7 (T-4th in Metro Athletic Conference). Key letterwinner lost: Annalyse Matheney (HM All-Gazette). Letterwinners: Madi Young (sr., S), Evie Barth (sr., L), Dixie Potter (sr., MH), Chloe Bene (sr., OH), Raina Walters (sr., OH), Marlo Downing (so., OH). Newcomers: Tessa Bogucki (so., DS), Lauren Cook (so., DS), Gabi Habart (so., OH), Kenna Kohl (fr., MH), Ellie Marshall (fr., OH). Noteworthy: Emerging all-around talent Downing, Potter, Bene and Kohl all stand at least 5-foot-10 and give the Colts an intimidating look across the net. Kohl has the coaching staff cautiously talking about her fast development and their long-term plans for her in the middle. l Barth moves from outside hitter to libero, which should shore up their defense. She appeared in 79-of-80 sets as a junior and 81-of-83 as a sophomore, displaying the calm demeanor and competitive drive that defines her on the basketball court. l County volleyball fixture Vaughn has rejoined the program as the varsity assistant. He remains Cloverleaf's leader in coaching wins with 119 over nine years. Highland Coach: Laura Merk (4th season, 61-16 record). Assistants: Brittany Ortiz, Holly Cate, Kelly McVay, Terese Klonowski. Last season: 21-5, 13-1 (1st in Suburban League American Conference), Division III regional semifinalist. Key letterwinners lost: Ashley Shefferly (All-Gazette), Emily Stanik (All-Gazette). Letterwinners: Kamryn Heldreth (All-Gazette, sr., MH), Carley Niese (HM All-Gazette, sr., L), Lily Vojtko (HM All-Gazette, sr., OH), Abby Capper (sr., OH), Alyssa Koehler (sr., OH), Ava Andrews (sr., DS). Newcomers: Emeri Gausman (jr., MH), Allison Stanik (jr., OH), Gigi Shank (jr., OH), Payton Hrics (so., S), Alaina Weingart (so., DS), Emma Tramonte (fr., S), Samantha Ross (fr., OH). Noteworthy: Heldreth paced the Hornets with 237 kills and 2.89 kills per set, ranking second locally to Wadsworth outside hitter Decker in both categories. The duo spent the prep offseason on the same national club team for Grizzlies coach Allyson Wines at NOVA Juniors. l Merk's career winning percentage of .7922 is the highest in county history among coaches with at least 75 matches. Brunswick's Diana Schneider is second at .7917, followed by Jill Klingbeil of Highland/Wadsworth at .760 and Buckeye's Brianne Indorf at .717. l The Hornets are a remarkable 16-3 in five-setters since 2020, including 9-1 in the last three seasons. The lone loss was to Revere last Sept. 10 by a 16-14 score. Medina Coach: Jason Schellenberger (13th season, 135-151 record). Assistants: Lee Bragg, Emily Myers, Andrea Catanzarito. Last season: 9-14, 6-6 (4th in Greater Cleveland Conference). Key letterwinner lost: None. Letterwinners: Lauren Sherman (HM All-Gazette, jr., S), Leah McKinley (sr., L), Elaina Sabol (sr., MB), Olivia Fedor (sr., OH), Bridget Campbell (sr., MB), Kiera Szuter (sr., OH), Madelyn Petrulis (sr., OH), Ava Schellenberger (jr., DS), Grace Tabaka (jr., DS), Kalea Tagalicod (so., OH). Newcomers: Allie Fugarino (jr., DS), Sarah Wilson (jr., OH). Noteworthy: Sherman and McKinley remain the anchors of the squad, giving the Bees one of the top setter/libero combinations in the GCC. They have good front-row depth, but continue to search for a true No. 1 hitter that has been missing since Kira Holland graduated in 2023. l Sabol, Fedor, Schellenberger, Campbell and Szuter each had between 80 and 145 kills last season. Working with Sherman for a second season can only help the group develop together as Medina does have good balance between the middle and outside. l Schellenberger moved into sixth place in county history with his 134th victory on Oct. 5, 2024 against Massillon at Hoover. Medina Christian Coach: Adam Vigneault (2nd season, 7-12 record). Assistant: Maya Crawford. Last season: 7-12. Key letterwinners lost: Jaydin Yund, Perry Reidl, Anna Gibson. Letterwinners: Cora Wolny (sr., L), Emma Finan (sr., OH), Ava Sems (sr., OH), Ashley Conwill (sr., OH), Julianna Subotnik (sr., DS), Ava Abramczyk (jr., S/OH), Ann Sems (jr., OH), Addie Wolf (jr., MH). Newcomers: Hailey Mendrea (fr., OH), Ally Glau (fr., s/OH). Noteworthy: Everything appears to coming together for the Knights to have a good season in their third year in OHSAA competition. Wolny, Finan, Ava Sems, Conwill and Subotnik were part of the group that brought the sport back to the school in 2022 and want to go out strong. l Wolny fired 81 aces last season, which tied for the third most in county history. She is entrenched at libero, which is critical in triggering the offense that is now a 6-2 run by Abramczyk and Glau. Mendrea is definitely someone to keep an eye on. l The Knights remain part of the Lake Effect Conference, which hasn't completed a full season of play since its inception and is not recognized by the OHSAA. Wadsworth Coach: Allyson Wines (3rd season, 44-8 record). Assistants: Bethany Marcum, Joe Snyder. Last year: 24-3, 14-0 (1st in Suburban League National Conference), D-II state semifinalist. Key letterwinner lost: Maddie Blackburn (All-Gazette). Letterwinners: Lauren Decker (two-time Gazette MVP, sr., OH), Rowan Kelly (All-Gazette, sr., S), Lilly McComas (HM All-Gazette, sr., OH), Emily Snyder (sr., DS), Riley Ishee (sr., DS), Quinn Macko (so., OH). Newcomers: Kameron Chapman (jr., MH), Eliana Wolf (so., DS), Averie Shell (so., S), Addisyn Snyder (so., DS), Julia Maddox (so., MH), Natalie Maddox (so., OH). Noteworthy: Kelly established the county record with 844 assists last year while averaging 9.81 per set, which is fourth all-time. She has 1,647 career helpers, including 488 as a freshman at St. Vincent-St. Mary, despite sitting out half her sophomore year due to transfer rules. l Wolf and Addisyn Snyder both made their varsity debuts in the tournament after Blackburn suffered a season-ending injury in the regional final. Shell also saw action in several late-season sets, so they became somewhat familiar with big-match pressure. l The Grizzlies' only loss in a best-of-five match last season occurred against Cincinnati St. Ursula in the state semifinals at Kettering Fairmont's Trent Arena. Contact Brian Dulik at sports@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on X.