Season Preview: Volleyball looking to build on success from head coach Katie Kuhn’s inaugural year
By Wes Mayberry
| 2021 Schedule |
ADA — The COVID-19 pandemic didn't stop Katie Kuhn from leading the Ohio Northern volleyball team to a highly successful 2020 season this past spring in what marked her first year as head coach.
Kuhn guided the squad to a 13-3 record, including 8-0 at home, over the course of an all-Ohio Athletic Conference schedule in March and April in a season that saw the Polar Bears earn a No. 19 national ranking and a third-place finish in the conference standings. They put together a nine-game win streak from March 23 through April 6 before dropping a five-set match at No. 12 Otterbein in the second game of a season-ending doubleheader.
Kuhn, a 2009 ONU alum, is looking to build on that success as she enters her second season at the helm this fall.
"We were really young last year, so it was very valuable for us to get the experiences that we got, and I'm hoping some of those can translate here in the fall," Kuhn said. "I'm excited to see what it's like playing out-of-conference matches and not just OAC matches. I'm looking forward to playing some other teams and seeing how we do with the rigorous schedule."
If the spring was any indication, Kuhn certainly has a roster capable of big things this season.
The Polar Bears graduated three players, including All-OAC honoree Hope Williamson, but return 11 letter winners.
"I'm really excited about our core group coming back. That's a great group, and their trust and buy-in to our program is huge," Kuhn said. "They believe in ONU volleyball and everything that it's about, and I'm really excited to see how they teach that to our younger kids and get everyone to be a part of this family and culture together."
Leading that group is All-OAC First Team member and the conference's 2020-21 Libero of the Year in senior Hannah Irmer (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) and an All-OAC Second Team selection in senior Melina Woods (Ada).
"Hannah set the bar last year and has been named a team captain, and I'm excited to see what she does with the leadership side of things," Kuhn said. "And Melina has been a great addition for us — she has really bought into ONU volleyball and is really versatile with how we can use her."
Other key returners include senior Kiki Carle (Cincinnati/Mother of Mercy); junior Hannah Hall (Centerville/Alter); and sophomores Ava Ehlinger (New Carlisle/Tecumseh), Sydney Eggleton (Southfield, Mich./Farmington), Grace Irmer (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) and Madeline Gawthrop (New Paris, Ind./Fairfield).
Here is an overview of the 2021 Ohio Northern volleyball team:
Defense
Hannah Irmer, a two-time OAC Player of the Week a season ago and a two-time Academic All-OAC, enters as the team's top player at the libero position.
She tallied double-digit dig totals in 15 of 16 games in her junior year, posting a career-high 29 digs in a pair of matches. For the season, she led the team and was fifth in the OAC with 309 digs and ranked second on the team in assists (41) and third in service aces (18).
She enters this season with 900 digs, 120 assists and 77 aces in her career.
Her sister, Grace Irmer, is also coming off a strong season in which she ranked second on the team with 151 digs as a freshman. She was tied for third on the team in assists (19) and ranked fourth in service aces (17).
Hall is a returning Academic All-OAC selection who ranked third on the team with 133 digs and added 12 service aces as a sophomore.
Senior Ava Lam (Carmel, Ind.) also earned Academic All-Conference recognition last season. She finished the year tied for fourth on the team with 17 service aces while tallying 27 digs.
Junior Lea McFadden (Chillicothe/Paint Valley) is the fifth returning letter winner for the Polar Bear defense. She posted 59 digs, 10 service aces and six assists last season after transferring from Capital.
"We're known for our ball control and defense, and I think our depth and experience there is going to be huge," Kuhn said.
Outside Hitters
Returning letter winners Eggleton, Ehlinger and Gawthrop lead this position group.
"Sydney Eggleton, Ava Ehlinger and Madeline Gawthrop are starters that are returning, so I'm hoping the experience they have will add a little depth," Kuhn said. "And we have a number of athletic freshmen that we're hoping will push to get playing time."
Eggleton appeared in all 16 matches a season ago and made 13 starts. She finished second on the team in kills (150) and service aces (21), was tied for fourth in blocks (18) and ranked fifth in digs (79).
Ehlinger played in 15 matches with 14 starts as a freshman and ranked fourth on the team in kills with 104 while also tallying 27 digs and 13 blocks.
Gawthrop also made an impact as a freshman, ranking third on the team in blocks (23) and fifth in kills (97).
Middle Hitters
Woods is the Polar Bears' top returning middle hitter and joins sophomore Kassie Bowmar (Sunbury/Big Walnut) as one-year letter winners.
Entering her second season at Ohio Northern after transferring from Canisius, Woods is coming off a solid junior campaign in which she played in all 16 matches and made 13 starts. An Academic All-OAC honoree for 2020, she earned a Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week accolade as a junior and finished the season with a team-high 187 kills and 44 blocks and ranked sixth on the team with 71 digs.
With the graduation of Williamson, a middle hitter, after last season, the team will be looking for Bowmar to increase her production — 17 kills and seven blocks in 15 sets played — from her freshman year.
This group also includes junior Sydney Casey (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland) and sophomore Delaney Fenton (Rio Rancho, N.M./St. Pius X).
"We've always been a middle-based offense, and I think it's going to stay that way this season," Kuhn said. "We're going to miss Hope Williamson because she was such a consistent player, but I'm hoping to see somebody step up and take over that position."
Setters
Carle, one of four seniors on the 2021 roster, comes in as one of ONU's top players as the starting setter and a team captain.
"Kiki ran the show for us last year, and I'm excited to see how she leads on and off the court this season," Kuhn said.
A two-year letter winner, she enters this season with 1,158 assists, 75 kills and 38 blocks in her career and needs 409 assists to move into 10th place on the program's all-time leaderboard in that category.
As a junior, she started all 16 matches and led the Polar Bears with 618 assists and 23 service aces, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively, in the OAC in those categories.
Sophomore Kaidie Carstensen (Raymond/Fairbanks) will serve as the primary backup to Carle, and two freshmen will provide additional depth to the position.
Freshmen
Kuhn has brought in a sizable freshman class for the 2021 season. The newcomers include outside/middle hitter Taylor Baxter (Bellevue), setters Emily Boyette (Romeoville, Ill.) and Grace Conrad (Somerset/Sheridan), defensive specialists Julia Coppola (Wantagh, N.Y.) and Rachel Jennings (Novi, Mich.), middles Sonia Dahlin (Minnetonka, Minn.) and Lauren James (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington), outside hitter Heather Higgins (Delaware/Berlin), right-side hitter Erin Wagner (Massillon/Perry) and defensive specialists and outside hitters Kendra Ackerman (New Washington/Buckeye Central) and Emma Strozewski (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North).
"As a whole, this could be one of our more talented freshman classes," Kuhn said. "It's a very solid group from top to bottom."
Schedule
The Polar Bears' 2021 regular-season schedule runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 30 and includes 26 games.
Three invitational tournaments — ONU Invitational (Sept. 3-4), Illinois Wesleyan Invitational (Sept. 10-11) and Calvin Invitational (Oct. 22-23) — and nine conference games highlight this year's slate.
In conference play, the Polar Bears will host Capital, Muskingum, Baldwin Wallace, John Carroll, Otterbein and Mount Union and travel to Marietta, Wilmington and Heidelberg.
ONU opens its season on Sept. 1 at Earlham (Ind.) at 7 p.m.
The OAC Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 2-6.
The 2021 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship is set for Dec. 18-20 at Francis Fieldhouse in St. Louis, Missouri.