Volleyball title up for grabs in new-look SBC

Over the past several years, Huron was the volleyball team to beat in the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division. After the SBC expanded and added a River Division, everyone knew Tiffin Calvert was the cream of the crop. With teams going from here to there and from there to here over the past year, things are looking a little different ahead of this season that begins in just a few weeks. Huron, along with nine other schools, broke off to form the Northern Ohio Conference. Calvert left the SBC completely, joining the Northern 10 Athletic Conference that is now home to 14 teams. That opens the door for someone to win the volleyball league championship in the retooled SBC. "It's a fresh start for our girls," Margaretta coach Sarah Kuns said. "We have a lot of new faces with the conference. I think that will help our mental game because they're not coming in and already feeling defeated against the Hurons or the Edisons or whoever we're playing. I think it's going to be huge for our girls." Margaretta is one of 10 teams now in the SBC. The Polar Bears are joined by Danbury, Fremont St. Joseph, Gibsonburg, Lakota, Northwood, Ottawa Hills, St. Mary Central Catholic and Woodmore. "We try to place an emphasis on us more than who we play or what league we are in," Danbury coach Keith Diebler said. "Obviously, Calvert (which had not lost a set in league play since 2020) always set the standard in our former league." The Lakers, along with Fremont SJCC, took runs at the Senecas, who are the defending Division VII state champions. With Calvert out of the way, Danbury has the pieces to win a league championship. "The new league will be very competitive, and as usual, we stress playing our best volleyball come tournament time," Diebler said. "Up until then, we want to be a factor in league play." Margaretta broke away from the teams that used to be in the Bay Division of the league. There will be no more running into teams like Huron, Vermilion or Willard, which also joined the N10. "I think everybody lost a chunk from last year across the board," Kuns said. "There's not one team that didn't lose huge parts of their program. In that sense, I look at it like we may be able to be extremely competitive in this. We're getting a fresh start and don't know what everybody has. "But, nobody knows what we have. I think overall it's going to be good competition across the board." SMCC went from one win in 2024 to six wins last season. The goal is to continue that upward trend this year. "Being in the SBC is huge for us because of the high level of local competition," Panthers coach Christine Lill said. "Playing against tough area programs on a regular basis forces our girls to develop a lot of mental toughness and physical grit. "It's a league where you never get a night off and that daily pressure completely prepares us for the postseason." Danbury returns its top two hitters from last year, as well as its setter. Margaretta graduated its top two hitters, but the Polar Bears' setter is returning. SMCC was led at hitting and setting by two freshmen last season. "We are really excited to see what this season brings because the program is on a major upswing," Lill said. "We only graduated one senior from last year's squad, so we have a ton of talent and varsity experience coming back. We've been playing well at our summer tournaments and competing right alongside the best of them. "Like most sports at SMCC right now, we feel like we are riding a wave of positive momentum, and we truly believe we have the pieces to compete with absolutely everyone in the league this year." Fremont SJCC graduated the SBC River Player of the Year in Amaree Haralson (604 assists, 247 digs) and first-team pick Kayla Hessick (247 kills). "It helps us because the psychological roadblock is gone and the race is a completely fair fight," said Lill of the SBC. "There isn't one clear favorite anymore. We feel like SMCC fits right into that mix, and with our returning lettermen and the growth of our program, we are ready to compete with everyone and really leave our mark this year."