Huron's Wood gets 700th career victory

HURON — The list of accomplishments for Huron volleyball coach Don Wood is long and lengthy. Now in his 34th season, Wood has advanced to the district round 33 times with 21 district titles. His teams have captured eight regional titles and have won five state championships. Now, he's etched his name further in the OHSAA record books. Wood won his 700th match as a head coach Thursday as the Tigers defeated Port Clinton 25-9, 25-10, 25-17 in Northern Ohio Conference Bay Division action. There are just seven coaches listed on the OHSAA website with 700 or more wins. Wood pointed to his family, including wife Jennifer and his kids, as a big reason why he's able to do what he does. "For my family, it means I owe them a lot for doing this for so long," Wood said. "They've been with me the whole time. My kids were born into the program. I'd like to look at the pictures we just took because three-quarters of the people behind us have had a hand in this one way or another. "It's really a program thing. It can't be an individual thing because there's so many people that put into this." Wood won over 90 percent of the matches his Tigers played in the Sandusky Bay Conference, capturing 25 league titles in his first 33 seasons. Huron is 5-1 this season and 1-0 in the league in pursuit of the first NOC Bay Division championship. "We've been playing for coach Wood since we were little," Huron senior Paige Johnson said. "There's only been seven teams to celebrate his every hundredth win. It's amazing. We have so much respect for him and he does so much for us." Wood said it was special to get the win at home. His last two milestone wins, 500 and 600, both came on the road. He won No. 400 at home. "It was nice seeing those people in the stands," Wood said. "Some of the kids I haven't seen in awhile and they were here. It really is a program milestone." As for the match, Huron got off to a fast start. The Tigers won six straight points, capped on a Reece Hotz kill to go up 6-1. After Ella Carmon stuffed a block for Port Clinton (2-6, 0-1), Huron won eight straight points to seize a 14-2 edge. Riley Harkelroad, Lizzie Perin, Mya Smith and Jenna Cox all had kills in the run, showing Huron's versatility when it comes to hitters. "They can all get used a lot, but it does come down to passing," Wood said. "Riley's back row has been really good and that's been the focus for her. Every one of them in their respective positions is getting better. "I'm pleased with our progress, but not satisfied." The Tigers went up 19-5 after kills from Harkelroad and Perin. PC won a couple points, but kills from Johnson and Smith gave Huron the early lead. "I think the girls were focused," Wood said. "It doesn't matter who is on the other side of the net. They're athletes, no matter what. You have to worry about your side and do the things you know how to do." Huron controlled each of the final two sets, but had to fight a little more to sweep the Redskins. In Set 2, the Tigers won five straight points to go up 11-5. PC drew within 12-8 on a kill from Kendyl Bollinger, but Huron answered with the next 10 points. Jada Foster served up nine straight points for the Tigers as Smith got hot. A block from Harkelroad and error on PC put Huron up 2-0. The third set was even tougher for the Tigers. They led just 13-10 before winning points in bunches to pull away a bit. Consecutive errors on the Redskins made it 15-10 and Harkelroad put down a kill and Cox served up an ace for an 18-11 advantage. PC kept fighting, but Foster stuffed a block and a hit by the Redskins sailed long. That gave Huron the win and set off a party with signs and shirts celebrating Wood's 700th win. "I think we worked well as a team," Johnson said. "That's our main goal. I think we did what coach Wood wanted us to do and that was keep our side calm. We wanted to keep the pressure on them. We wanted to control our controllables." Cox was 15-of-15 serving with three aces to go with 13 digs for Huron. Hotz finished with 26 assists, Smith tallied nine kills and six blocks, Harkelroad contributed 14 digs and seven kills and Perin lined five kills. Wood's career record sits at 700-169 ahead of Huron's next match, which comes Saturday when the Tigers head to the Gilmour Invitational. "It was good because we needed to see a little bit of that," Wood said. "Port Clinton wasn't going to quit and they kept playing. That's a credit to them. I do think our girls did respond. Those are things that have to be straightened out before next month."