The North Union varsity volleyball team is as follows, row one, from the left, Zoe Wedding, Chailyn Fishbaugh, Riley Heminger, Lindsey Willis, Ellie Keever and Kiley Pederson. Row two, from the left, coach Alexis Maenz, Sienna Ballinger, Candace Holoway, Abi Zimmerman, Kayla Sedgwick, Hope Hall and coach Bre Jackson. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
The North Union volleyball program is starting the rebuilding process.
Last season, the Lady Cats made huge news by winning the first district title in program history.
That was thanks to a veteran squad on the floor. That Lady Cats lost eight players to graduation, one being Journey Blevins, who tallied more than 1,000 kills for the Lady Cats.
North Union head coach Alexis Maenz said last year’s team really helped pave the way for the future of the program.
“Last year we laid the groundwork of what it takes to be district champions and take our program to the next level,” she said. “Now that some of them have seen that achievement they see the process is worth it.
“Through hard work, accountability and working together they have the ability to continue setting the standard of success.”
Now with a new group of young players, Maenz is going to be looking to those who played on last year’s team to help lead this year’s the Lady Cats.
“The expectations for those returning and all of our athletes are rooted in leadership and the ability to adapt,” she said. “As a returner they are familiar with the level of competition at the varsity level, so they are expected to use their experience to be leaders on and off the court.”
Kayla Sedgwick is one of those returning players.
She is a four-year starter for the Lady Cats as their libero and has the most varsity experience on the team.
Maenz will also be looking to Candace Holloway. Holloway is a senior and saw time from the bench last year as an outside hitter.
Aside from those two, Maenz will be working with a lot of girls who have come up through the junior varsity program.
The coach believes this is a group of players that wants to see a return to the district level.
“We have been and continue to base our focus on the strengths and areas of growth of this eager to learn and hard-working group,” she said. “We have high expectations of what it looks and feels like to be a part of this program.
“Getting others to buy into the mindset starts with those who have been here before.””
The youthful Lady Cat varsity team is made up of five sophomores and three juniors who have seen little-to-no varsity playing time.
Maenz, however, saw growth in the preseason that leads her to believe they will be competitive this season.
“I have seen a lot of growth in team chemistry and how they respond to adversity within our first few weeks of practices and a couple scrimmages,” Maenz said. “Many of these girls have played together at the JV level, so we are able to be versatile and fine-tune those already established relationships to fit our needs this year.”
The youthful Lady Cats will have to contend with Graham and Benjamin Logan in the Central Buckeye Conference.
Graham finished as runners up to the Lady Cats in the Mad River Division with Benjamin Logan taking third place.
Both teams met again the district semifinals where Graham beat the Lady Raiders to move on to the district championship game.
The Lady Falcons lost few to graduation and will be a hurdle for the Cats this season.
Regardless of who the Cats are facing, Maenz wants to see her team grow and form their own style on the court.
“We strive to help all our athletes grow to be well-rounded volleyball players so our preparation process stays the same… our focus in preparation is what changes,” Maenz said. “I am excited to help this group establish their own identity as competitors at the highest level.”
The Lady Cats already have Jonathan Alder under their belt this season and will face Buckeye Valley Thursday.