Marysville High School varsity volleyball coach Bethany Bentz has a handful of returning letter winners this fall.
Those veterans include senior setter Miali Bard, juniors Alyssa Codner (outside hitter), Kaitlyn DeLauter (outside hitter) and Sarah Peterson (setter) and sophomore middle blocker Carys Gossett.
The team is welcoming back senior middle blocker Rhiannon Gossett.
The varsity letter winner missed the entire 2018 campaign due to an injury.
Bentz said the elder Gossett is looking to make a strong impact this fall.
There are several newcomers to the squad that will help MHS in its quest to place higher than its fourth-place finish of a year ago in the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division.
Those new players are juniors Maddie Busch (defensive specialist) and Larissa Smith (middle blocker), sophomore setter Peyton Ingle and freshman defensive specialist Morgan Shick.
Additional new faces include juniors Carolyn Frost (middle blocker) and Megan Melish (outside hitter/defensive specialist) and sophomores Jillian Gardner and Madison Fluharty, both of whom are outside hitters.
Bentz said she is pleased with the strengths of the team.
“This team has very good chemistry,” she said. “All of them play with grit and determination and have great attitudes.”
The Lady Monarchs also have the luxury that many teams don’t have and that is height.
There are four girls – both Gossetts, Smith and Frost – who are over six feet.
“We have fierce hitting in all of our positions,” said Bentz,” along with a majority of our players who are able to play multiple positions.
“We are still relatively young with only two seniors leading us into the 2019 season,” she said. “We will be young, but strong at the net and should be a force with which to be reckoned.
“Our defensive back row is young, but is also experienced in our youth,” said the coach.
“We will continue to grow throughout the season as we battle and compete in each match,” she said. “They are strong students who quickly learn.”