Olmsted Falls volleyball has had a lot of success over the past few years.
The Bulldogs have won over 20 games and lost less than five each season since 2018. The program has shifted after losing some talented players, but this year will present a bigger challenge.
In 2022, Olmsted Falls finished 22-3 with an undefeated conference record of 14-0. Although a terrific season came to an early end in a Division I district final, this was a benchmark season despite previous success. Seven seniors graduated from that team, including All-Ohioan Kylee Urban, and there are major shoes to fill.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for the whole team to step up,” senior Ally Rumancik said. “We’re in different roles, there’s people leading that weren’t last year. It’s nice to be that team that’s kind of an underdog.”
As crazy as it might seem to say, Olmsted Falls will be flying under the radar this season. Losing a lot of talent doesn’t mean the Bulldogs are rebuilding. But there will certainly be a lot to prove. Rumancik is the lone senior, and they will start two juniors and four sophomores this year.
There weren’t one or two veterans who carried the team last year — basically all of the production is gone. Junior Hayden Hess is the leading returning attacker with 52 kills. Rumancik had the third-most digs last season with 184, but also has the most returning assists with only 23.
“I think we’re just trying to find our identity of what team we need to be,” Olmsted Falls coach Brigid Radigan said. “We talk about getting 1% better every day. I think it’s really fun to have young teams because you do see so much progress throughout the year. We have seen progress since we’ve started in June.”
These Bulldogs are used to winning in other sports or at younger levels of volleyball. But none of the current players have played major roles on a winning varsity volleyball team. With that being said, it’s not recommended to write a program off like Olmsted Falls. There may be young talent on this team, but it’s talent.
Rumancik and Hess already have been mentioned, but there are other players to watch out for. Jesse Simon is the other junior starter along with Hess, and Grace Largent is starting as a freshman. In particular, this sophomore group is on a high trajectory.
Emily Odon had her moments as a freshman last year, and now she will be trusted with the setter position of the Bulldog’s 5-1 offense. Maya Awad will be Olmsted Falls’ go-to blocker in the front row. Her length will cause fits. Addie Koontz also didn’t play much last season, but has grown into her libero role so far. Carmen Muzingo will also have a big role to play being thrust into the lineup in 2023.
“It’s probably the most athletic group that I’ve ever had,” Radigan said. “Almost all of these kids are multi-sport athletes, so we’re very athletic. They’re just really great kids that work extremely hard. The culture piece is there, the teamwork piece is there, we’re just focusing on the little things that we need in order to be successful.”
They’re a new team, but the Bulldogs still have the same aspirations of the past teams. There has been a strong tradition built in Olmsted Falls, and the expectation is to keep it that way. Despite not playing major parts in it, these players have seen and been a part of successful teams.
“It feels better because we though we lost seven seniors, we have the confidence that we can go out and beat anyone,” Hess said. “Even though we’re young, we still have a high standard. It helps us play and want to win more.”
There will be bumps along the road for this team. But the season got off to a nice start on Aug. 19 with three home wins in a quad. The Bulldogs defeated St. Francis DeSales, Gahanna Lincoln and Oregon Clay to start 3-0.
The next test is the SWC opener against North Ridgeville on Aug. 22. Olmsted Falls will have to work through some things, but the Bulldogs are ready to make some noise.
“In our preseason scrimmages, there wasn’t one team that blew us out,” Radigan said. “We’ve competed in every single match that we’ve played. We want to be that scary team at the end of the year. We want to be that team that nobody wants to see come October because we’ve made so much progress.”