There’s always talented players returning for their senior year, but it’s usually not an entire group of them.
Avon Lake volleyball had a solid season in 2022 with a 17-7 record and a third-place finish in a tough SWC. The Shoregals did all of that with juniors. They didn’t graduate a single player from last year’s team, and they want to take their game to the next level.
“It’s really nice coming back and knowing that we didn’t lose any seniors from last year,” senior Aubrey Kirk said. “We have a few up from JV and it’s really exciting knowing that we can just get right into it and start preparing for the regular season.”
A year ago, Olmsted Falls went undefeated in the conference and Amherst edged Avon Lake by a game for second place. The Bulldogs and Comets lost great senior classes, which means the driver’s seat is currently empty when it comes to the SWC race. It certainly won’t be easy, but the Shoregals have the lethal combination of enough talent and experience to take the conference title.
To take a step further this season, it’s about the details. Avon Lake coach Shana Miocinovic knows how cliché that sounds, but the little things are what can make this older group that much better.
“We have the talent, we definitely have the athleticism. We have a lot of knowledge, a lot of experience,” she said. “If we’re able to elevate our game by really paying attention to detail, then that’s what will change our game and allow us to go farther.”
There’s no doubt about it that Avon Lake is coming for the SWC crown. It’s one of big goals for the season, Kirk said. It definitely should be.
That doesn’t exactly equate to postseason success being in the gauntlet that is Division I, but Amherst won a district title in 2022 and Olmsted Falls reached a district final. The Shoregals fell in the district semis, so there’s still room to grow to that level. The SWC schedule gets every team ready for when the brackets are released, and it won’t be any different this year.
“The SWC is a tough conference. Every year there are teams competing, there’s not just one rivalry,” Miocinovic said. “We all get amped up and that’s what I love about this conference is because it’s exciting to see how the teams can be. All of the players know each other’s tendencies, it’s really who comes out on top in those last two points. It’s super fun to watch.”
While teams in the conference are trying to get into the swing of things right now, that’s another advantage that Avon Lake has. No matter how much other teams try right now to have good chemistry, the Shoregals already have it built up.
There’s definitely still work to do for Avon Lake, but as the rest will find chemistry as the season goes along, it will be hard to match already playing together for a year on the varsity.
“It’s like we didn’t skip a beat,” senior Stephanie Smith said. “We’re just still moving and playing well.”
Kirk and Smith might the area’s top duo of hitters. Kirk averaged 4.9 kills per set and Smith averaged 3.9 kills per set last season. The two combined for 65% of the Shoregals’ kills for the year.
It also helps to have a strong setter such as incoming junior Rachel Meyer. She made waves as a sophomore last year averaging more than 10 assists per set. Junior libero Danica McArthur also had a nice year as a sophomore, averaging 5.9 digs per set. Across the board, Avon Lake has the pieces.
“We all really go into practice thinking that we already started practicing together last year,” Kirk said. “We just have to take it a few steps further with the chemistry that we already have. It’s better to build that up even more.”
