Fairview's star hitter presents Huron's biggest challenge

HURON — Kelly Crites' hitting chart, hanging up in Huron's gym this week, stands out most for its lack of a pattern. The Sherwood Fairview senior takes swings from everywhere on the floor, and she does it well, totaling 6.3 kills per set and 527 total kills so far this season. Slowing her down will be the Tigers' main challenge in Thursday night's regional semifinal, which will be the second match at Liberty-Benton High School. "Kelly Crites is spectacular," Huron coach Don Wood said. "She's gonna see the ball 60 or 70 times in the match." Huron, with a difficult regular season schedule that includes six teams that advanced to their respective regionals, plans to be ready. "We've seen players like her before," Wood said. "We've seen teams with two or three, like Gilmour. But there's one kid who sees the ball so much, she's gonna get some pretty gaudy numbers. Very talented kid, though." Crites benefits from a strong setter in classmate Haley Hammer, who has totaled 2,473 assists in her career by putting together three consecutive 800-assist seasons. Hammer isn't afraid to drop the ball over the net on the second touch, either. She has 92 kills this season "They dump a lot, so we've been working on that, trying to pick everything up," Huron senior Casey Brown said. "We just still have to stay consistent and put everything into it." Huron's defense, which made some crucial, high-pressure digs to rally past Galion in the five-set district final, seems up to the task. Senior libero Kendall Camp, the SBC Bay Division's player of the year, has 367 digs. Brown has 267, followed by three more senior dig leaders: Addie Foster at 201, Tess Humphrey at 175 and Lanee Orzech at 156. Fairview often brings the heat on its serves, too, which will make the Tigers' serve receive crucial in the never-ending battle to stay in system. "Serve receive is a big one," Humphrey said. "They have aggressive serves." Fairview had some dramatics of their own in the district final round against Eastwood. The Apaches trailed 12-11 but won four straight points on serve to repeat. They were regular season champions of the Green Meadows Conference. "We just have to make sure we're in our spots and getting our passes up and watching tips," Foster said. "If I'm not, I'm probably gonna be doing a lot of push-ups after the game. We just have to make sure to play our game." The Tigers, of course, are coming off a comeback for the ages against Galion. They trailed 7-0, 10-4 and 14-11 in the first-to-15 fifth set. "It's kind of hard to even think about," Humphrey said. "Rewatching the game, part of me wants to rewatch it and part of me doesn't, it's so anxious. In the moment playing, I was calm and confident." Huron hopes to start fast again on Thursday like it did in last week's district final, and ideally find a way to keep the foot on the gas this time. The Tigers are enjoying this extended season. They dressed up in rhyming Halloween costumes for last Saturday's practice — for example: Alanna Williams as "dad," Cami Adams as "plaid" and Addie LaCivita as "grad." A win Thursday night would mean a return trip to L-B on Saturday to play the winner of St. Henry and Marion Pleasant with a spot in the state final four on the line. "It's so exciting," Foster said. "This is my longest volleyball season yet."