Volleyball

can pass, and that is a big step for us.”

To have that early experience is something the players were also happy to get, as they were able to find early adjustments to their game. It’s something Garrett knew was going to help her and her Mentor teammates in the long run.

Now with the experience under their belt, the players know they are going to be asked to continue to do more for the team. They are excited to get the season started and build on the legacy of Mentor volleyball.

“It was very important for me to get that experience early,” Garrett said. “It gave me time to see how the competition is with the other teams, and it’s going to help a lot this year. Most of us played in all of the games last year, so we earned experience as a group, and we all now know what it’s going to take to get to that point again.”

On the other side of the net, Riverside does see a little bit of a turnover from a year ago but see veteran leadership upfront with Savanah Laurenty on the outside and Riley Horvat in the middle. They also see Courtney Johnson back after a strong sophomore campaign where she averaged 8.6 assists per set.

They also see strong leadership in the back row with Bree Herman at the Libero. Having that experience and confidence from last year, Coach Jess Marut knows the team will continue to grow.

“Last year was the first for me as a head coach, and I was excited to get back because I knew the history that Riverside had as a team,” Marut said. “They did have those down years, but I knew that we had the talent and the skill. We knew the tools were here to have us be that strong team again, and we found a way to execute it.”

What’s helped speed up the process has been the play of underclassmen such as Johnson. Her first year on the varsity roster saw

the hitters around her grow and their success last year.

Even with the steep jump for her as a sophomore, Johnson is excited for the season and continuing to develop with her teammates. While the transition on the court has been one thing, the Beavers also know their chemistry off the court is something that has helped them right the ship.

“It was almost not even the volleyball aspect that helped us have a turnaround,” Johnson said. “We became a lot closer as a team, and having that relationship outside of the sport really pushed us to be a better team. We wanted to turn things around and show what Riverside volleyball was after those last two years.”

Both coaches know their paths to the same success from a year ago is going to be difficult with a GCC and WRC schedule, respectively. That, along with the challenge of playing in a very competitive D-I level in the postseason.

But Weaver and Marut are excited for the challenges of the season. They know with their experience and drive to improve on last season, both coaches are excited to see how their teams attack their challenging schedules.

“It was a really good experience for them as a group,” Weaver said. “To have them get that experience as freshmen, it was good to see them be thrown into the fire and how they handled the situation. I’m excited to see how they handled it and they’re ready to see how they can deal with it this year as well.”

Marut added: “There’s that trust piece that we have now. They have the trust in me as a coach, and they have trust in each other as teammates as well. It’s important to have that in volleyball. While we have some young players on the roster, they now have that expectation of what we want to do as a program and build off of that.”

Mentor begins its season Aug. 19 when it hosts Massillon Perry. Riverside starts its season Aug. 22 when it welcomes Madison.