Huron the team to beat in NOC Bay Division

Huron and Willard were by far the two best teams in the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division last season. The teams split two regular-season meetings before both advanced to a Division V regional. The Crimson Flashes left the conference for the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, leaving Huron as the favorite entering the season in the Northern Ohio Conference Bay Division. The Tigers will likely be challenged by Bellevue, which also returns a vast majority of its team that won a share of the SBC Lake Division title last year. The NOC Bay won't include Margaretta as the Polar Bears stayed behind in the retooled SBC. The first volleyball matches around the state are Monday with the local slate getting underway Tuesday. A look at the five members of the NOC Bay Division in alphabetical order: Bellevue The Lady Red went 19-5 a year ago, splitting the SBC Lake title with Columbian. Each went 8-2 in league matches. Bellevue returns two of its top three hitters from a year ago in Finley Lapata (team-high 256 kills) and Calie Cramer, who smacked 173 kills as a freshman. The Lady Red must replace 6-foot-3 Kaitlyn Turinsky, who was second on the team with 179 kills. "Our strengths will be our level of experience," Bellevue coach Liana Petitti said. "The majority of our starting lineup are in their third or fourth year playing on the varsity court. Our team is also very strong defensively." Senior Ellie Freitag racked up 586 assists last year while classmate Kate Baptista is back after tallying 363 digs from her libero position. "We are really excited about this team and season," Petitti said. "We have the majority of our group returning. We are excited to continue to improve from where we left off and feel we have the talent and work ethic to have a strong season." Edison The Chargers were 10-14 last year, finishing 5-5 in the SBC Bay. Edison graduated its top two hitters, Dana Preston (183 kills) and Ella Booth (158 kills), its top defensive player, Taylor Moore (471 digs), as well as its top setter, Paige McFadden (303 assists). "We have three good, experienced players returning, but will be very young and inexperienced for the most part," Edison coach Sean Hoover said. "The girls are working hard, but it will take some time for our older and younger players to learn how to play together." The Chargers do return Peyton Bissell, who recorded 280 assists, and hitters Macari Harris (135 kills) and Abby Cloud (116 kills). Edison not only graduated Moore, but its top five defenders: Moore, Stella Brown (271 digs), Booth (203 digs), McFadden (155 digs) and Preston (128 digs). "We should have a strong serving team. Our players also come in the gym and work hard to get better every day," Hoover said. "We need to work on our serve receive. We also need to work on being able to read and anticipate better." Huron Of the six players that received first-team SBC Bay Division honors last year, three graduated. The other three were sophomores for the Tigers. Now juniors, Mya Smith (288 kills), Jada Foster (280 kills) and Reece Hotz (867 assists) form a returning nucleus for Huron, which finished 21-6 overall and 9-1 in league play. "I am excited to see the steps our team takes to come closer to realizing their potential," Tigers coach Don Wood said. "Our team has strong weapons across the net with a great setter capable of spreading the offense." Another junior, Adelyn Van Sickle, added a team-high 410 digs for Huron. Hotz had 311 digs while Jenna Cox returns after 265 digs during her junior year. The Tigers were regional runners-up, losing to Marion Pleasant, one step short of the state tournament. "We are constantly working hard on ball control," Wood said. "Without it, our hitters are neutralized." Port Clinton The Redskins (4-19, 0-10 SBC Bay) had just one player earn league honors last year. Marissa Frohne was a honorable mention pick after leading Port Clinton with 110 kills, but graduated. "I believe there's a positive attitude to this team," Redskins coach Kent Felbinger said. "We aren't very deep, but I'm excited to see what this group can do." Evalee Cross led PC with 154 assists, but opted to play tennis this season. Lila Bishop is back after adding 148 assists from her setter position as a freshman. Lilly Wagner contributed 243 digs while Tatum Higgins picked up 165 digs for the defense. "I'm excited for these young ladies," Felbinger said. "They've approached this season with a great attitude focused on improving, not just in record, but in our working environment. One of our team standards is 'our team is our strength.' If this continues to hold true, we're on the right path." Vermilion Lauren Logsdon (359 assists, 218 digs) was a second-team league selection for the Sailors (10-14, 4-6 SBC Bay), but graduated. Vermilion must also replace Delaney Russell, who led the team with 366 digs. "This team has a great combination of experienced leadership and competitive young talent," Sailors coach Sawyer Schafer said. "Our upperclassmen bring valuable experience and leadership, while our underclassmen continue to push the level of competition in the gym. They challenge each other every day, and I think that will continue to make us better as a team." Vermilion returns their top two hitters in Sophie Habermehl (201 kills) and Emma Gebhardt (167 kills), as well as Haley Stepp (268 digs) and Elyse Myntti (289 assists). "Right now, one of our biggest focuses is continuing to build chemistry and learning how to play our best volleyball together," Schafer said. "We have a lot of talent in the gym, and as we continue to gel, communicate and become more comfortable playing alongside one another, I think we'll continue to grow as a team." Returning All-SBC Bay selections First team Reece Hotz, Huron; Mya Smith, Huron; Jada Foster, Huron Second team Leah Weiss, Willard; Adelyn Van Sickle, Huron; Emma Gebhardt, Vermilion Honorable mention Sophie Habermehl, Vermilion; Alexis Rettig, Willard Note: Willard is now in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference