The perfect storm: Christy's arrival sparks unprecedented start for Bucyrus volleyball
BUCYRUS — One play in Saturday's sweep of Crestline showed just what strides the Bucyrus volleyball program has taken this season.
It was the third set and a ball was mishit wide out of play. But instead of letting it drop for a Crestline point, Bucyrus chased it down, brought the ball back into play and won the point. That sort of thing might not have happened in a match over the last few years.
“There has always been hidden talent in these girls," coach Amber Christy said. "It was about finding a way to bring it out of them and getting them to understand there’s no individual, it’ll take every one of us. Even my coaching staff, it’ll take us all to bring it together. But it didn’t take long. We played a lot of summer ball, we went to Mason and played for three days in brutally hot conditions and these girls never disappointed in terms of their effort and hustle. They are here half an hour before practices, all summer long they didn’t miss anything. The effort they’ve given is incredible, and they deserve their wins with what they have on the floor.
"What they need to understand is when a couple of us don’t have a great day — and that happened Thursday night (at Crestview) when a couple of us were off — but the girls picked up and rallied. We had unsung people come up and play those big roles when we were lacking. It has just been a complete team effort.”
Saturday's 3-0 (25-6, 25-5, 25-18) win over Crestline was the team's fourth to start the season in as many tries, which — as far as record books go back and memories can recall — could be the best start to a season Bucyrus has ever had. What's even more remarkable is that the program didn't win a single set two seasons ago and had won just five matches in the last four years combined.
Christy taking over the reigns has certainly sparked something that quickly caught fire.
“It has been great," junior Emma Tyrrell said. "I’ve played for coach Christy since seventh grade in club, so I knew how she coached. But having her come in, with our experience, and her wanting to change the program has made such a huge difference.”
Easy transition
There never seemed to be any sort of growing pains after Christy took over. Right from the start, the girls players bought in to what she wanted and the results speak for themselves.
“When I started and came into the program I was well aware of what the past was," Christy said. "I was told over and over about it, but to be honest I didn’t know how it was going to be to start with because the girls had to buy in. If they didn’t, we have nothing. I was very, very fortunate to get a group of girls that wanted to win and wanted to prove to everybody that we’re in this league, too. We don’t want to walk in and have everybody look at us like we’re just Bucyrus. Hopefully we’ve made a little bit of noise and that’s not going to happen — if they did it would be a bonus for us.
"But once we started playing in the summer I knew they were going to be competitive. Coach (Jordan) Whitmore told me when I started that the girls had the potential to be tough, and I believe they do. We have a lot to learn, we have to play the net better, but we take it all one step at a time.”
And the team didn't shy away from competition this summer, either. That has been one of the major reasons for its early success. A win over Vanlue in the opener was followed up with an impressive sweep of Marion Harding on the road. But the signature win in this four-game stretch came against a very good Crestview team last Thursday in Olivesburg, where the team trailed twice in the match but gutted out a five-set win over the Cougars.
“Crestview was definitely our toughest game so far. It was a nail-biter and nerve-wracking," Tyrrell said. "We knew if we wanted the season to go the way we wanted we had to pick it up and start now.”
After that match, Christy knew the hard work in the preseason was paying off.
“Thursday night I got calls from people and they said the summer is what did it," she said. "That summer program putting them in with big teams — to be better, you have to play better.”
A welcomed addition
After the win over Crestline, Christy said two words a lot — "thank you."
Whether it was to parents, administration, anyone, their appreciation for what she has done in just a few months with the program is apparent.
“The parents, the staff … I’ve had some good administration (previously), but anytime I turn around people are congratulating me, saying the girls look great or they can’t wait to see the girls play," Christy said. "The word of mouth has gotten out that the team is better. And I say better because we still have so much work to do. I was out at Pickwick Place and somebody tapped me on the shoulder and gave me flowers, just little things like that. When it started out it was, ‘Coach Christy got her first win’ … I’ve led the girls and given them as much knowledge at the moment when they need it and in practices, but if those girls don’t get on the court and play the game we don’t win.
"The girls know I’m constantly up and down the sideline talking to them, and they’ve just bought in. Now we go into league and we have four very tough games ahead at Mohawk on Tuesday and then Colonel Crawford at home Thursday — that’s a brutal two games. But I told the girls if their mind is right and they keep doing what they’re doing, they could see some knockoffs here and there. And from anyone in the league, it’s really tough this year with so many teams competitively matched.”
Having coached for more than 20 years prior to taking over at Bucyrus — club, Colonel Crawford until 2019 and as an assistant at Buckeye Central for the 1996 state championship — Christy is no stranger to the sport. Nor is she unfamiliar with the players she now coaches daily.
“Every single girl on this team I know as a volleyball player, I’ve had some sort of touch on them," she said. "When they hired me and even when I went in to talk, I got calls from the girls that night that I didn’t tell them. It was a quiet thing and we wanted it that way. I told the girls we aren’t going to stay undefeated, we’re going to take our lumps and we need to make sure we don’t fall apart. We need to learn how to play when we’re down and continue to play when we’re up. You saw that (Sunday). I put my floaters in and switched my libero in for two opposite kids, pulled Emma and (Maddie) Kimmel out — they usually see the floor all the time. It was mostly to see what I have if I have to do that in the future … how are they going to be able to handle that? It got a little out of control, I called a timeout, talked to them sternly and they finished.
"I believe in them, they know they have to believe in themselves and if we can put that together we’re going to win some games.”
The Lady Red are believing.
“Everyone wants to be here now, we’re excited to be here and we’re excited to get out on the court and play," Tyrrell said. "Especially starting with that first win, now we’re 4-0 because everyone is buying in.
“It’s surreal for sure. I expected, and was hoping for, a better season. So to start off the way we are is great.”
One thing that has made Christy's transition a bit easier is the fact the current players have played together a lot while growing up. The core of juniors — Layla Ellis, Lillian Neumann, Addy Ricker and Tyrrell — endured two difficult seasons leading up to this but never once thought to give up.
“We’ve played together for so long," Tyrrell said. "Everyone knows what everyone can do and where we struggle in, and if someone is having a bad day we pick each other up. We’re just so close as a team.”
Here for the long run
Christy doesn't want to just guide Bucyrus to a great season and leave. She's hoping to build the program into what it is capable of being — one that competes for trophies.
And something that should help that is the fact Christy is in the building now. At Colonel Crawford, she worked an 8:30-5 job and held practices after, which was really the only time she'd see her team. Now, she's in the building all day and then gets to bond even more with her players after school.
That is one of the keys to developing a program that can last.
“My administration thinks it’s going to help greatly, and I do, too," Christy said. "The bond I have already with some of these kids — I had bonds with my kids at Crawford, but it was the club girls — this is just totally different. We’re one family, nobody takes credit for anything, and you can see on the court the girls are talking and running down balls. That gets me pumped. They’re refusing to get beat. I told them if, and when, we get beat, just play to the best of your potential and don’t come unglued.
"I’m happy with this situation. Everything is going great and the girls appreciate all the support they’re getting from the community.”
And the players seem quite happy, too. The atmosphere at Bucyrus is unlike anything previously. The players are seeing success and having fun — a dangerous combination for opponents.
“She knows the game and she has so much passion for the game," Tyrrell said of Christy. "Her passion carries over to us and it makes a huge difference.
"She wants us to do well, she wants us to succeed and she knows what to do to make it happen.”
There is a lot of volleyball still to be played this fall with many difficult matches on the horizon. But what the team has been able to do in the opening four matches of the season is nothing short of remarkable.
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This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Amber Christy has Bucyrus volleyball undefeated for the first time
