Monroeville, St. Paul atop Firelands; SBC River runs through Calvert

The last time Monroeville or St. Paul didn't win at least a share of the Firelands Conference volleyball title was 1999. South Central went undefeated in league play that year, advancing all the way to the state championship match. Monroeville has won at least a share of the FC seven times since then — including four of the last five years — while St. Paul has 19 championships in the same time span. Those two teams are senior heavy with a lot of big-match experience under their belts. In the Sandusky Bay Conference River Division, Calvert has won 99 consecutive league matches and looks to keep that rolling. The Senecas have won the 75 of those matches in straight sets — or 225 consecutive sets won in league play. Danbury must replace nine seniors, including River Division Most Outstanding Performer Maci Brown, while St. Mary Central Catholic looks to keep improving. Plenty of talent returns around the area as the high school volleyball season begins Saturday. A look at area teams in alphabetical order: FIRELANDS CONFERENCE Monroeville The Eagles won a district title for the ninth time last season under 17th-year coach Kendra Snook. But for just the second time, they were ousted in a regional semifinal, losing in four sets to Tinora. Monroeville was 24-2 overall and undefeated in 14 league matches, but a group of seniors that was on the floor when the Eagles lost in the Division IV state championship match in 2022 want to finish the season strong. "Our goals are to continue to get better every time we are on the court," Snook said. "We also hope to improve our communication and excitement both on and off the court. We want to be able to compete in the Firelands Conference to contend for a conference championship. "We also want to be competitive in our non-conference matches to use each opportunity to improve as a team so we are playing our best volleyball at tournament time." Senior Ady Adams returns after 268 kills while twin Alexa Adams lined 256 kills. Senior Madison Reiber clobbered 240 for the Eagles. Junior Addison Homan led the defense with 571 digs, more than 300 more than any teammate. Alexa Adams added 227 digs, Reiber had 212 and senior Addison Lyons had 201. Lyons split time at setter with sophomore Kaci Poths. Lyons tallied 514 assists while Poths contributed 364. "We return 11 athletes from last year with a vast amount of experience," Snook said. "We hope to use this experience in big matches." Monroeville is 41-1 in league play over the last three years with the lone loss coming Sept. 7, 2023, against Western Reserve. The Eagles challenge themselves in the non-league against the likes of Bellevue, Mohawk, Clyde, Buckeye Central and Norwalk. "Our biggest weakness is consistency," Snook said. "We need to continue to work on focusing on every point every game." St. Paul Not a lot has changed with the Flyers' lineup. St. Paul lost only one player to graduation, but she was a big one in Kristin Matlack. The All-Ohio setter ran the offense to the tune of 741 assists as the Flyers went 20-8 overall, 11-3 in league play and won the program's first regional championship since 2009. "Our strength this year is experience," second-year coach Angie Kalizewski said. "We have a veteran team with common goals." Junior Ella Kalizewski led St. Paul with 298 kills and 62 blocks last year while sophomore Brooklyn Cassidy lined 189 kills. Kegney Stoll added 176 kills and Shealynn Deeter smacked 136. "This year, our top goals are to play consistent and take the season one match at a time," coach Kalizewski said. Senior Lily Cuturic (43 aces serving) topped the defense with 406 digs. Matlack was second on the team, picking up 258 digs, while senior Bella Guerra added 206. "The biggest keys early are communication, leadership and consistency," Kalizewski said. Annie Friend has stepped in at the setter role and will dish the ball to a bevy of hitters. "Our weakness can change from match to match," Kalizewski said. "Our goal this year is to recognize the struggle for each match and fix it early." SBC RIVER Danbury The Lakers had just one first-team selection last year, but it was division player of the year Brown. She graduated after racking up 598 digs for Danbury, which went 13-11 overall and 10-8 in the SBC River for coach Keith Diebler. The Lakers have to replace their three biggest hitters from last year. Mia McDonald led Danbury with 230 kills while Ella McDonald added 158 and Kendall Shanteau lined 157. Junior Cali Wunder is back after splitting time at setter. She registered 289 assists while Kalanie Owen, who graduated, had 156 assists and Ella McDonald contributed 149. Ella McDonald also had 297 digs to back Brown. Thea Brickner graduated after 190 digs. The top returning defense player for Danbury is Wunder, who tallied 146 digs. SMCC Numbers are improving for the Panthers. After winning just one match last year and going winless in league play, SMCC has 21 girls out, including just one junior. "SMCC is looking to make an impact this season," coach Christine Lill said. "This is the most (girls) we have had in years. Last year, we had 15, which was up from the eight or nine players we had the previous two years." Allison Lill is the lone senior for the Panthers. She received honorable mention league honors. "We played a lot of volleyball this summer as we went to five tournaments," coach Lill said. "I saw growth from all of the players and excitement as we got some wins. With this group, we are looking to not only be more competitive but increase our wins. I'm very excited to see what the season holds for our team. "We may be young, but we have a lot of potential and a few that play JO in the off-season." The offense struggled most of the season for SMCC as sophomore Khloe West led the Panthers with 34 kills. Sophomore Madi Perkins had 31 kills and sophomore Brylie Gill recorded 63 assists. Finley Karr, Reid Didion and Evelyn Shafrath are all freshmen who could see time on the junior varsity or varsity. "Our biggest strength is we have a lot of versatile players," Lill said. "We continue to work hard and we need to learn to win and finish. Winning has been absent in the program for years, so we are developing that mentality." Returning All-FC selections First team Ella Kalizewski, St. Paul; Alexa Adams, Monroeville; Ady Adams, Monroeville; Pailee Wilson, New London; Emma Hammond, Western Reserve; Jamie Muenz, Western Reserve; Bella Guerra, St. Paul; Addison Homan, Monroeville Second team Kegney Stoll, St. Paul; Madison Reiber, Monroeville; Gracie Thomas, New London; Drew Clemons, Western Reserve; Addison Lyons, Monroeville; Lily Cuturic, St. Paul Honorable mention Brooklyn Cassidy, St. Paul; Jillian Weaver, Crestview; Ava Ringler, New London; Taylor Smith, South Central; Lily Cook, Plymouth; Paige Beattie, Mapleton Returning All-SBC River selections First team Bella Borgio, Calvert; Amaree Haralson, Fremont SJCC; Bryn Dircksen, Calvert; Emily Miller, Calvert; Queen Beard, Lakota Second team Claire Schoenberger, Calvert; Karris Marinis, Calvert; Kayla Hessick, Fremont SJCC; Megan Rombach, Calvert Honorable mention Kate Coleman, Calvert; Ava Wensink, New Riegel; Marah Miller, Old Fort; Allison Lill, St. Mary Central Catholic; Ansley Fleming, Gibsonburg