High school volleyball: Kenston, Chardon look forward to new challenges

Aug. 22—Last year's Western Reserve Conference championship battle came down to the wire as Kenston and Chardon met on Oct. 12. The contest went in favor of the Bombers, 3-2, and they won the outright conference title as they went 12-0.

The Hilltoppers had to settle for a 10-2 mark as the two broke away from the rest of the pack. In order to do that again this season, both teams will need to make big adjustments.

Starting with the Bombers, up front sees a slew of new changes as middle hitter Julia Sell and setter Elena Liodus graduated. Coach Christian Jolley is excited about the mix of talent his team brings into this season.

"It's a real different offense for us because we have kids playing all over," said Jolley. "I've asked like four or five different players to play right or middle in different spots on the floor and be really versatile. There are some kids that weren't on the team last year and some that were that have stepped into those different roles."

While the front half sees a slew of new names, the defense sees a trio of experienced players led by senior libero Maria Insana. Last season, Insana led the area in total digs with 483.

With the experienced back row, Insana said that will allow for the front row to find its footing early in the season.

"Last year we had a lot of experienced talent, whereas this year we have a lot of young talent," said Insana. "I think that this year our versatility is going to be a big strength of ours to go along with our whole defense returning as well. Our team is very well-rounded and ready for the challenge."

Maria Insana and all of @Kenston_KBV have worked to gel and be ready for the season. They know that there's a target on their back after a 12-0 conference record a year ago, she knows her and her teammates are ready for any challenge #NHVolleyball pic.twitter.com/HfYN5ZeLOn

— Ben Hercik (@BHercikNH) August 21, 2022

On the other side of the court, Chardon has revenge on its mind. But coach Alison Fisher said the Hilltoppers aren't yet ready to challenge the Bombers. She hopes leaders like junior hitter Emma McCartney and senior setter Annabel Frieden can continue to create chemistry with the team.

While the players already had a good start on their chemistry, Fisher knew that getting the new names accustomed to the varsity level was priority No. 1.

"We worked a lot on filling the void that we had with a lot of seniors graduating," said Fisher. "We still have a lot of talent but the depth was what took the biggest hit. So we worked a lot on getting those positions, like finding a new No. 1 in the middle. We also need to bring the energy consistently."

McCartney had a breakout sophomore season. She finished seventh in the area in kills with 229. But she spent her offseason working on improving the other facets of her game, including digging and serving.

Emma McCartney and the @chardonVB team have made it a point this year to spend extra time working on team bonding this offseason, especially with an always challenging WRC slate #NHVolleyball pic.twitter.com/saUDCve9ta

— Ben Hercik (@BHercikNH) August 21, 2022

"We're trying to keep the energy up because last year we had an issue with keeping it up," said McCartney. "We would get down on ourselves if we lost a few points in a row, so we're trying to keep moving. We've also improved a lot on our serve receive and it's something that we really needed to improve. We also worked a lot on our defensive side of the game because we know that a strong defense will be important throughout the season."

While both teams know they're going to contend in the WRC, they can't overlook any of their opponents, in conference or not. The season will present challenges the teams will need to overcome.

Fresh off of the best season in school history, Chardon and McCartney have lofty expectations of at least replicating the regional semifinal appearance. But she also knows that the Hilltoppers will need to be on their 'A' game every time on the court.

"For the regular season we can't just go into a game thinking that we're going to have an easy win," said McCartney. "Because then we'll play down to their level. We're going in thinking that every team is going to be like Kenston and can't stoop down to any level lower than what we know we're capable of."

The Bombers also have a grueling out-of-conference schedule as they start with Lake Catholic and Mentor on Aug. 22 and 23, respectively. Insana knows that the out-of-conference schedule will help prepare Kenston for the challenges of the likes of Chardon.

"Our conference has always been really competitive," said Insana. "We always have a lot of matches go to extra sets. We know that Chardon is going to be a very strong competitor for us. But we think that our defense works really well together and we have strong communication so we're ready for a challenge like that.

The two first meet on Sep. 15 at The Barn in Chardon and again on Oct. 11 at Kenston.