The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Sailors, Bulldogs sharpen their skills
Powerhouses test progress in scrimmage
With Vermilion in the Sandusky Bay Conference and Olmsted Falls in the Southwestern Conference, the powerhouse volleyball programs don’t see each other often.
That wasn’t the case on Aug. 8 at Olmsted Falls High School as the Bulldogs and the Sailor battled in a friendly scrimmage to tune up for the regular season.
They were joined by Division I district champs Toledo St. Ursula and Mentor, who squared off on separate courts.
“We are pretty deep (in personnel). We wanted to see who we can put in certain situations, who can handle pressure. We want to see kids work ethics (on the floor) and who is terminating the ball,” said Olmsted Falls coach Brigid Radigan. “We are basically throwing a bunch of different lineups in and seeing what clicks.”
Olmsted Falls won the scrimmage, 25-12, 25-12, 1112, before playing the western powerhouse in Toledo. Vermilion played the Cardinals afterward.
“I think we exploited a few different spots on (Vermilion’s) floor. They had a difficult time playing defense in, and I think that we served aggressively as we could,” Radigan said.
The silver lining was not the results, but how the teams meshed to help give them a head start on the year.
“(Playing tough competition) definitely makes us better. I keep saying that it’s good to lose early when it doesn’t count. We could figure everything out before it does count,” said Vermilion coach Kara Coffman.
Despite being a little undersized, the Bulldogs’ hitters across the board produced, with returning AllOhioan outside hitter and setter Kylee Urban on the floor.
The back line was led by Addie Odom, who was a tough server against the Sailors, recording six aces. Brigid Radigan said Odom’s abilities as a server will play a big role this season.
“We are an undersized team and if you could serve aggressively and get the other team out of system, the more points we score off our serve. The better it is for us,” Radigan said.
Vermilion graduated setter Hallie Habermehl and middle hitter Jenna Peters. But the front line remains strong with hitters Grace
Starcovic (2.9 kills per set), Maddie Stout (2.3), and Kate Colahan (2.3).
“We are lucky that we have three of our four to five hitters back from last year. So, we are definitely depending on them to put the ball away,” said Coffman. “Right now, we are working on getting a good pass so we are able to put the ball away and execute our offense.”
Olmsted Falls placed second in the Southwestern Conference, which is one of the best conferences in the area.
The Bulldogs went 21-3 (12-3 in the SWC) and were a district semifinalist in a bracket that had four ranked teams in Division I with Medina Highland, Westlake and their in-conference rivals Amherst. The Comets knocked out Olmsted Falls in four sets.
Vermilion (26-1, 12-0 in SBC Lake) was one of the top teams in its division with Division II Coach of the Year winner Kara Coffman at the helm.
The Sailors went undefeated heading into the postseason, winning their first conference title in program history along with their first district championship. They fell in the eight elite to the eventual state champion Gilmour Academy in three sets.