Granville, Johnstown volleyball on the go during summer under new coaches
GRANVILLE — With more than 40 players interested in competing for the Granville volleyball program this season, new coach Courtney Ruppert can be excused for occasionally feeling run a little ragged this summer.
The high level of interest, however, certainly is a good problem to have for Ruppert. Her Blue Aces hosted Johnstown for a summer scrimmage Thursday as she begins to envision what her varsity lineup might look like when the regular season begins a month from now.
"The biggest thing for us is working on communication and trusting each other, just trying to find our way," Ruppert said. "I am really big into positive coaching. The girls really buying into a positive mentality. Let's pick each other up."
Ruppert coached Granville’s seventh grade last fall after her family moved to the area. She previously was the varsity girls track coach at Upper Arlington for one season in 2021 after serving as a long-time assistant in that program.
Johnstown also is under new leadership after Erin Reilly led the Johnnies to their third Division III district title in five seasons last fall. Brian Votaw has returned to the coaching ranks after previously winning nearly 300 matches during stints at Gilead Christian, Highland, Mansfield Madison and Bluefield College (West Virginia).
"I just had the itch again," Votaw said. "I thought, 'I have one more run in me.' I honestly said there were only a few places I wanted to go. Johnstown was open, and it seemed to be a good fit."
Both Ruppert and Votaw have the luxury of returning experienced talent. Granville has six seniors, including setter Rowan Jordan and libero Katlyn Fuhrman.
On Thursday, seniors Paige Hamilton and Ava Gossman and junior Ciara Wildermuth led the way at the net, the Blue Aces’ top three leaders in kills last season under Ken Fehrman.
"I have a great group of six seniors returning," Ruppert said. "Ava Gossman, middle hitter, is a great leader, and Kaylin Fuhrman, our libero, I have really leaned on them all summer."
Johnstown sophomore standout Kylie Sharp had an impressive run in the front row of two blocks and two kills in the third of four sets played.
Johnstown also returns senior Dakota Staffan in the middle, and the Johnnies have a young crew of outside hitters, including junior Kate Ruffle, who moves from a defensive specialist role. Junior Emily Yanczura will be a three-year starter at setter, directing the offense.
"We really are turning over an all-new lineup," Votaw said. "It certainly absolutely helps we have our two middles back and our setter. That's huge. Everything else is pretty much all newbies, all fresh and green. They are fitting in well, and I am excited about what I am seeing so far this summer."
While it is fun to put lineups together and visualize results in late August, the new coaches remain busy, gaining a full overview of their new program.
Tryouts come Aug. 1, and scrimmages follow shortly thereafter. Granville will participate in a quad scrimmage at Licking Valley on Aug. 6 and host Newark on Aug. 9, and the highlight of Johnstown’s preseason will again be participating in the Watkins Memorial Preview on Aug. 15.
"We're close," Ruppert said. "We just got back from team camp, and we played in a summer league at Watkins, so we are seeing an evolution through the last couple months of where people fit. It will shake out once tryouts start."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Granville, Johnstown volleyball on the go under new coaches
