Ava Green of East Liverpool beat Lydia Campbell (10) and Abbey Emch (20) of Crestview on Tuesday. (The Review/Michael Burich)
COLUMBIANA – The Crestview volleyball team did not lose its first set until the last game of the 2023 season.
This Rebel team, perhaps the best in school history, made it to the regional finals before losing in four sets to Mentor Lake Catholic, arguably Ohio State’s best team in any division.
This season is different.
In their second game of the season, the Rebels had to prevail against a courageous East Liverpool team, who played their first game of the season on Tuesday and won 25-6, 25-18, 22-25 and 25-10.
“This year’s team is very good, but last year’s team was very simple,” Said Rebel coach Alisha Auer. “We just dominated. This year’s team has the same skills, but we have to work harder to win. This will be the story of the year.”
Abbey Emch, a University of Pittsburgh recruit and senior middle blocker for the Rebels, shined with 29 kills, three blocks, four aces and 12 digs. She said playing four games so early in the season is good for a team that is still trying to figure out what works.
“It was good that we did that,” said Emch. “We needed this. We will emerge from this stronger.”
At first, it didn’t seem like four sets were even remotely possible, as the 19-point win in the first set demonstrated Crestview’s superior serving ability.
“We served really well in the first and second sets, but in the third set we started to play it safe,” said Auer. “In the fourth set we stepped up the pace and became more aggressive, and that’s the attitude we need.”
Emch has already done pretty much everything Crestview has asked of her, but she isn’t done improving her game yet.
“I have increased my confidence and just help my teammates,” said Emch. “I trust my teammates a lot more.”
Your trainer noticed that something was different.
“I think Abbey’s attack and serve in the back row have improved this year,” said Auer. “These are the things she’s been working on in the offseason. Obviously she’s playing at a very high level.”
This was reflected in the statistics, as Emch made 29 serves and only one error.
“She has phenomenal ball control, which is not what you would expect from a middle blocker,” said Auer.
Lainy Auer also played at a high level on Tuesday, scoring 17 kills, seven assists, five aces and 14 digs. Setter Sophia Stewart contributed 35 assists, three aces and eleven digs. Bailey Ash had four assists, three aces and eleven digs.
Once East Liverpool got going, it looked as if the Potters could still turn the game around. Experienced Potters like Ayla Brown, Ava Green and Kenzie Headley had put the Rebels under pressure at times, especially in the third set.
“(Crestview) had already played and we had a few girls who had not yet played on the varsity team. We also had a libero (Kendra Lacey) from Oak Glen,” said East Liverpool coach Dan McKinstry. “In the first game we didn’t receive the serves well, in the second game we started to receive them better. The third game was good from both sides. I think we started to hit the ball well and we saw some gaps. In the fourth we just got a little bit tired. We just need to keep working on our conditioning.”
McKinstry, the winningest coach in Ohio history, said his team served well and had good chemistry. He said he was glad his team stayed positive when things got tough in the beginning.
“We kept fighting and didn’t give up,” said McKinstry.
Green led the Potter attack with 14 kills. Kenzie Headley had eight kills, two aces and a block. Kamryn Yanni had 28 assists and an ace. Brown had seven kills, while Addison Rudibaugh had two kills and a block. Lacey had two assists.
Game Notes
• This volleyball season will break new ground as the Ohio High School Athletic Association has expanded the field to seven divisions. Crestview is in Div. V and the region consists of 32 schools. There will be four district tournaments with eight teams each. Streetsboro and Magnificat will each have two district tournaments. Mentor Lake Catholic is still in the region.
“There will be many more district champions and many more tournament games,” said Auer. “In the end, you will see the same teams.”
The players don’t seem to know quite what to make of it yet, as many years of tradition have been thrown overboard.
“The whole thing with the new divisions is kind of strange,” said Emch. “I think we just have to do the work and go out and have fun.”
East Liverpool is in Division IV and hosts two district tournaments of eight teams each. Meadowbrook, which has participated in the Division III state tournaments two years in a row, is part of East Liverpool’s group.
• Crestview won the jayvee match 25-9, 25-11. Olyvia Barnett had four aces and four kills for the Rebels. Kerrigan Miller, who also played in the varsity match, added six aces and seven kills.
For East Liverpool, Ella Gunning had four assists. Daminica Deshazier and Hailey Board each had two kills and an ace.
• East Liverpool will not field a freshman team this season. The team consists of nine freshmen.
• East Liverpool hosts Bellaire on Thursday.
• Crestview is at Southeast on August 27.
