Titans more at home in coach’s second season

Lorain volleyball had a upand-down season last year at 10-10, but there are new expectations in Coach Capreece Irby’s second season.

Since she was hired to take over the Titans’ program, there’s been some work to do. The 2022 season showed progress with a third-place finish in the Lake Erie League, and there’s new heights to reach this year.

The team started playing together a lot earlier this spring and got plenty of reps together.

“I think that’s just from spending more time with the girls and getting to know what we have,” Irby said. “We’ve been focusing on the little things that we fell short from last season. They’ve played a lot of volleyball this summer to prepare us for what’s to come. We have really high hopes for this season, so hopefully it all comes together for us.”

Last season was a feeling-out process for Irby and the players. Over the course of going through a full season together, a bond was created. It took time to get used to the new coach, and that relationship growing is only part of why Lorain has high hopes.

“Last year was a bit rocky, but overall we persevered,” senior Christin Castro said. “We know (Irby) way more now, we’re more comfortable with her. We learned to trust her and now we’re as close as we can be. She’s like a mother figure to me.”

After losing five seniors, the Titans have six this year. The juniors got a lot of playing time last season, and they’re hoping to springboard off that into the new season.

Irby said this senior group is vocal and versatile. They’re in a different position this season ready to lead rather than looking for guidance like the past couple of years. Three seniors will be in the starting lineup to begin the season, and the realization of it ending soon has hit them.

“This year, I’m just looking forward to one last go-around with my girls,” Kenya Simpson said. “A lot of the girls don’t realize it, but high school goes by really quick. I’ve always thought it was cliché when people said

that, but as a senior now, you think about the memories and everything.”

That kind of thinking is what could elevate Lorain in 2023. The Titans have the physical attributes, they have the chemistry, and the mental edge is what Irby thinks can take the team to the next level.

The Titans went 8-4 in the conference a season ago and to reach their goal of a conference title, the little things matter. The veterans on this team are unlocking the mentality that’s needed to win. It also goes to show whatever Irby set out to do when she got here is starting to set in.

“It’s a great feeling. Something I’m noticing, too, is how they’re leaning on each other,” Irby said. “This stems from the

foundation that I tried to set when I came in, and they’re really starting to buy in what we’re doing. Athleticism has never been in question with them. But now it’s the little things like the mental part of the game that I think they’re starting to blossom in.”

With everyone feeling more comfortable, the mental part of the game isn’t the only thing that has blossomed. While the players have grown to trust Irby, they trust each other more, too. Lorain has big goals in 2023, and it all starts right there.

“We’re really as one. We’re trying to get all our teams, freshmen through varsity, as one,” Castro said. “I just really want it to be a sisterhood — that’s really what it is. There’s only seven days in a week, and we’re together for six of them. Having a better connection helps me trust (my teammates) even more.”