Season Preview: Volleyball looks to repeat as OAC champions in 2017
By Caleb Scott
ADA — The Ohio Northern volleyball team will look to defend its Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season and Tournament titles in 2017 under the guidance of 27th-year head coach Kate Witte.
The Polar Bears finished the 2016 season 27-4 overall, including a perfect 9-0 record in conference play.
Witte and her staff welcome back 11 letterwinners in 2017 and six newcomers.
"We have a tremendous amount of optimism heading into this season," said head coach Kate Witte. "We lost two great players to graduation last season but feel confident that we have a great group coming back that can fill those voids and lead this team. We are really stressing consistency and feel if we can be consistent that we have a great shot at being successful."
Here's a breakdown of the Ohio Northern volleyball team, by position:
Outside Hitters
Sophomore McKenna Jordan (Toledo/St. Ursula) will look to be the anchor for the outside hitters.
The reigning OAC Freshman of the Year and Honorable Mention All-OAC honoree ranked third on the team with 234 kills and 325 digs in 2016.
"McKenna has had a great preseason and has made a huge jump from last season," said Witte. "Obviously coming back after being named the OAC Freshman of the Year she had a lot of potential and really took that next step as a player."
Northern also welcomes back sophomore letterwinners Sydney Bapst (Grove City) and Sydney Fecko (Aurora/Trinity) to the team.
The duo saw significant action in 2016 and will look to provide experience and depth to the outside hitters group.
Junior transfer Josie Andres (Sunman, Ind./East Central) and freshmen Jordyn Heitbrink (Minster) and Christen Ware (Jackson Center) will also look to push for time in the rotation.
"We bring back the two Sydney's and feel they both have tremendous upside," said Witte. "Bapst will be competing for the outside spot across from McKenna. She has a great opportunity to make an impact for us. Fecko is probably our best athlete in this group and we think she has great potential. Christen comes from a successful high school program and provides a heavy arm swing on the pin. She hits the ball well and provides great depth. Jordyn is a strong athlete that jumps extremely well and has a lot of potential. Josie is a great blocker and presence at the net. Again, we really just want to see more consistency and this group could be very dangerous."
Middle Hitters
The middle hitters will be led by AVCA All-American Haley Potters (Wheelersburg/South Webster).
Potters, a First Team All-OAC and AVCA First Team All-Great Lakes Region honoree, led the team with 279 kills and 102 blocks last season.
She also ranked first in the OAC with 28 solo blocks and was third with 102 total blocks.
"Haley is our anchor in the middle," said Witte. "She slides very well and has potential to have an even better season than she did last year. She is a very solid blocker who puts herself in great position."
Sophomore Chelsea Huppert (Bremen, Ind.) returns to the squad after being named Honorable Mention All-OAC in 2016 after a solid freshman campaign.
The sophomore ranked second on the team with 250 kills and 85 blocks.
Huppert also ranked second in the OAC with 22 solo blocks.
Northern welcomes two newcomers to the group as freshmen Paige Hartings (Coldwater), and Hope Williamson (Noblesville/Heritage Christian) will look to compete for time.
"Chelsea had an outstanding preseason. She is hitting the ball better this year and is really a force in the middle. Paige has a lot of potential and came from a really good program at Coldwater. She is used to winning and provides depth. Hope is a very smart and intelligent player and will be a nice asset to this group."
Libero/Defensive Specialist
ONU will welcome back five letterwinners to the libero and defensive specialist positions in 2017.
Senior All-American Megan Nieszala (Lambertville, Mich./St. Marys Catholic Central) will look to continue her success at the libero position in 2017.
Nieszala, a Second Team All-OAC honoree in 2016, led the team and ranked fifth in the OAC with 493 digs.
"Megan had a great junior season and is one of the best liberos in the conference and region," said Witte. "She has the chance to have a great season this year."
Senior Brenna Dee (McComb) and junior Michaela Sharlow (Tiffin/Columbian) will look to see an extended role at the defensive specialist position.
Sophomores Kristin Langston (Versailles) and McKenna Hostetler (Plain City/Alder) return after lettering in 2016 and will look to compete for extended time in the backcourt.
"McKenna played a lot as a freshman and brings experience to the team in the backcourt," said Witte. "Brenna is a great leader and has the intangibles you look for in a player. Michaela had her best preseason since joining the team. She has an aggressive serve. Kristin is our most improved player from the spring. She adds a lot of depth to this group. The whole group has balance and experience."
Setters
Sophomore letterwinner Madison Broering (Saint Henry) will look to fill the role at the setter position.
Broering takes over the position for former Polar Bear standout and Second Team All-American Ashley Borchers.
The sophomore gained significant court experience in her first season as she recorded 87 assists and 51 digs in her 20 sets of action.
Freshman Katie Wade (Battle Creek, Mich./Harper Creek) will also look to see time at the setter position for Northern.
"Filling Ashley's void will be a tough task for us this year," said Witte. "Madison got some good experience as a freshman and learned a lot in her freshman season. Katie has blended well with the team and really has number of positive points to her game. We really need to see the setters be as consistent as possible and be the leader on the floor."
Schedule
Northern will open its 2017 campaign as it hosts the 39th Annual ONU Invitational on Sept. 1-2.
ONU will also compete in the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational, the Wittenberg Fall Classic, and OAC/HCAC Challenge before returning home to host the ONU Triangular.
Conference play begins on Sept. 30 as Northern hosts Mount Union at the ONU Sports Center at 1 pm.
Other OAC home matches feature matches with Otterbein on Oct. 4, John Carroll on Oct. 14, Muskingum on Oct. 21 and Baldwin Wallace on Oct. 24.
ONU will travel to OAC-foe's Capital on Oct. 6, Heidelberg on Oct. 10, Wilmington on Oct. 17, and Marietta on Oct. 27.
The OAC Tournament is slated for Oct. 31-Nov. 4 at campus sites.
"We have a pretty difficult schedule early on," said Witte. "To be the best, you have to beat the best and we really believe we have a shot at being very good. Winning the OAC is always a tough task so I feel our September schedule will prepare our girls for our brutal conference schedule."