Newark, Newark Catholic showcase city's volleyball talent in scrimmage

NEWARK ― Volleyball was literally in the air Thursday in Newark.

The season was still over a week away, but the host Wildcats and city rival Newark Catholic squared off in a scrimmage that felt more like a regular season match at Jimmy Allen Gymnasium.

"This community's volleyball players are really talented, and you saw it tonight," said first-year Newark head coach Dava Pinney, after her team pulled out a 25-21, 15-25, 25-21, 25-22 win in match that could have gone either way. "We were really focused and hyped up," senior right side hitter Avery Reagan said. "We played really well, and we played well together."

"It was back and forth the whole way," said dominant NC senior hitter Ava Gummer. "We were ready to fight, we came out and competed, and did good things. There was never a letdown."

Both teams showed a lot of grit, a good sign for the future. Newark led most of the way in taking the first set, but the Green Wave responded with an impressive second set. The Wildcats looked ready to run away with the third set, but junior libero Ava Heffley's serving got NC back in it before Newark prevailed. The fourth set went down to the wire, but the Wildcats pulled it out behind strong play at the net from junior Bella Martinez, and seniors Jaylen Jackson and Jenna Shackleford, who had a pivotal block late.

"We've spent a lot of time in the weightroom with coach Chris Pallas, and our legs are stronger and we can jump higher, with better technique," Jackson said. "We're in here at 7, 7:30 a.m., working our butts off."

The Wildcats are blessed with the best overall size they've had in years. Shackleford, Martinez, sophomore Ruth Anderson and freshman Makayla Meister are all in the 6-foot range, and Jackson has shot up to about 5-10. They plan to use that to their advantage in the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division, populated by teams with equally good size.

"We're used to our outside hitters at Newark being like 5-7 or 5-8," said Pinney, reserve coach the last several seasons under retired head coach Art Ghiloni.

"We can rotate in all bigs with a setter," Jackson said. "It's exciting," said Reagan. "We're able to attack now from the back row as well as the front."

Applying pressure is also foremost on the mind of new NC head coach Brenden Pence, who led DeSales to a 2019 state championship before taking a couple of years off.

"This (the scrimmage) was good, to see us match up with someone else and see where the gaps are," Pence said. "We struggled a little bit, but we're learning a new system and learning where and when to apply pressure to the other side. It's moving the ball around, and not always trying to hit the ball straight down. We want to be playing chess while the other team is playing checkers."

"He's an amazing addition," said Gummer, like classmate and fellow hitter Maddie Kauble a three-year starter. "We have tons of underclassmen, so we're taking it a little slower. But he puts us in situations in practice which we've never been in."

Gummer and Kauble are stepping up to lead a young team that graduated key seniors from a regional runnerup, and a program which reached the state semifinals the two years previous to that. "Ava is really creative on offense, and Maddie is a really tough kid," Pence said.

"We'll look for juniors Kami Diaz and Ava Heffley to provide leadership in the back row, and junior Erin Keck has some experience and will help in the middle," Gummer said. Sophomore basketball players Sophie Peloquin and Fini Kaiser are growing into the game up front. Junior Kylie Gibson, just five months removed from knee surgery, is slowly easing herself back into the lineup.

"She'll play in the back row and be a big key, as she gets stronger and can go longer," Pence said. "Sophie and Fini are learning a lot, and they'll get better as they learn the new offense."

Pinney, who played collegiately at West Virginia State, has been around her Newark players for a while, and likes what she sees.

"These are great girls, and they're hungry," she said. "We had some success last year, and they still have a taste of that in their mouths. I had our five seniors as reserves, and they all play different positions and are leaders at their positions."

Like Pence at NC, Pinney is looking to put her own mark on the Newark program.

"We're trying to speed up our offense, and try new plays out of the back," she said. "We definitely have the talent and skill. We just have to think as a team, and keep the energy going into these OCC matches."

dweidig@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark, Newark Catholic stage entertaining volleyball scrimmage