Season Review: Volleyball caps yet another successful season with OAC titles, NCAA Tournament appearance

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — The Ohio Northern volleyball team proved it was a force to be reckoned with throughout the 2021 season. Ranked inside the top 20 nationally all season long, the Polar Bears played their way to Ohio Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships, an NCAA Tournament appearance and a 22-6 record under second-year head coach Katie Kuhn.

"I'm extremely proud of our team and all that we accomplished on the court this season," Kuhn said. "As a team, we had a growth mindset for the entire season and focused on taking a step forward every day. I believe this set us up for success and allowed us to play at a high level."

Now 35-9 in her tenure as head coach of the Polar Bears, Kuhn has proven more than capable of filling the shoes of former head coach Kate Witte, an ONU Athletics Hall of Famer who amassed 742 victories in her career before retiring in December 2019. That winning tradition continued in 2021, as ONU won both the OAC regular-season and tournament titles for the 20th time in program history. Such success earned Kuhn the OAC Coach of the Year and American Volleyball Coaches Association Region 7 Coach of the Year accolades. She credited her players for being heavily instrumental in helping her garner such accolades.

"Embracing the tradition is something that I have focused on and spoken to our team about. The tradition of ONU volleyball is rich and one that I am proud to have been a part of as a student-athlete, assistant coach and now head coach," Kuhn said. "I was blessed this season to lead a group of young women who were focused and determined. I told them every day that I 'pick them' and would pick them over and over again. They are the ones that earned these honors and bought into what we were instilling as a program."

Northern has now won 27 of the 38 OAC regular-season titles since the league began sponsoring volleyball as a championship sport in 1984, and it has 22 tournament championships to its name. Winning the conference tournament crown required the Polar Bears to defeat a fellow nationally ranked team in Otterbein, and they did so with relative ease with a 25-14, 25-21, 25-20 sweep of the Cardinals.

"It felt awesome to earn both the regular-season and tournament titles," Kuhn said. "The OAC is one of the strongest conferences in Division III, and it is a battle every single night. The month of October is tough, and then to turn around and battle through a conference tournament is a challenge — a challenge that our young women embraced this season."

The conference tournament title earned the Polar Bears an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they fell in four sets to Colorado College in the opening round in Waverly, Iowa. That was one of six games ONU played against nationally ranked opponents in 2021.

"I'm proud of our team for earning a bid and representing ONU in the NCAAs. It is an honor and something very special that we do not take for granted," Kuhn said. "The NCAA Tournament did not go as we had expected, though, and was disappointing as we felt we had prepared ourselves during the regular season to go further in the tournament. Hopefully we can take the NCAA experience and apply it to the future."

ONU, which opened the year winning nine straight games and 17 of its first 18, ranked as high as No. 8 in the AVCA weekly polls. The Polar Bears closed the season at No. 20, representing quite an impressive feat for a relatively young team with just four seniors that relied on key contributions from several freshmen.

"All season long, people would mention to me about our youth, and I would just smile," Kuhn said. "Yes, we were young this season, but we were talented and had a strong chemistry on the court, which made a huge difference. We just went out and played, and I believe that is what made the season as successful as it was."

Senior Melina Woods (Ada) and freshman Taylor Baxter (Bellevue) headlined this year's team as AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selections. That was just one of many accolades Woods and Baxter earned for their standout play in 2021. They were also named to the AVCA All-Region 7 First Team and All-Ohio Athletic Conference First Team, and Baxter was named OAC Freshman of the Year. Additionally, they were both named to the All-OAC Tournament Team — Woods was named MVP — and each of them earned an OAC Player of the Week accolade during the season.

Woods, a right-side hitter, earned Academic All-OAC honors for the second time in her career and led the Polar Bears with 302 kills and was second on the team with a .325 hitting percentage. Baxter, a middle hitter, led ONU with a .344 hitting percentage and 118 blocks and was second on the team with 288 kills. Her hitting percentage and block totals rank second and tied for third, respectively, for a freshman in school history.

"Melina and Taylor are both very talented players who work at their craft. I was proud of how they continued to grow and push themselves during the season to just keep getting better," Kuhn said. "Melina has grown so much as a young woman, and it has been awesome to be a part of that. Taylor is a special athlete, and I am excited to see what the future holds for her."

That duo certainly wasn't alone in leading the Polar Bears to great success in 2021. Senior setter Kiki Carle (Cincinnati/Mother of Mercy) and freshman defensive specialist Rachel Jennings (Novi, Mich.) were All-OAC Second Team selections. Carle was named to the All-OAC Tournament Team, and Jennings was a two-time OAC Player of the Week. Freshman right-side hitter Erin Wagner (Massillon/Perry) was an All-OAC Honorable Mention selection, and senior libero Hannah Irmer (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) earned an OAC Player of the Week accolade and the third Academic All-OAC honor of her career.

Carle finished the season with a team-high 760 assists and ranked third on the team in digs (193) and service aces (23). Her 1,918 career assists rank eighth in program history.

"Kiki was such a consistent player for us this season and truly played like a veteran. She is a pure athlete and played to her ability all season," Kuhn said. "It has been a joy watching her grow over the years and give so much to her teammates and this program."

Jennings also put herself in the ONU record book after leading the team in both digs (505) and service aces (50) while ranking third in assists (76). Her dig and ace totals both rank fourth in school history for a freshman.

"Rachel is such a spark of joy. Her teammates love and trust her, and it was neat to see her confidence grow both on and off the court this fall," Kuhn said. "She has a steady platform that kept us in system all season and a constant voice that many freshmen are not comfortable embracing."

Wagner finished the season with 101 kills, 36 blocks and a .262 hitting percentage, and Irmer ranked second on the team with 410 digs. Irmer's 1,310 career digs rank just outside the top 10 all-time at ONU.

"Erin just kept growing and growing all season long. It is special to look back and see the steps she took to place herself and her team in such a positive position at the end of the year," Kuhn said. "Hannah is a veteran and allowed her experience to show on the court. Her will and fight were needed during the season."

Other standouts from 2021 included sophomore Sydney Eggleton (Southfield, Mich./Farmington) and freshman Emma Strozewski (Lakeville, Minn./North). Eggleton hit .222 and tallied 201 kills and 50 blocks, while Strozewski hit .213 with 217 kills, 148 digs and 46 blocks. Strozewski ranked third on the team in both kills and blocks.

"Our outside hitters were both steady at times and carried the load when we needed it. Sydney and Emma are two different types of players, and that really balanced our offense," Kuhn said. "Sydney is one of the most gifted athletes, and it was exciting to see her play to her ability so many times this season. She elevated her game at times, which pushed others to do the same. Emma rose to the challenge as a freshman and carried a large load for us. I look forward to the offseason with her and what the future brings."

Additionally, senior Ava Lam (Carmel, Ind.) and junior Hannah Hall (Centerville/Alter) earned Academic All-OAC accolades for the third and second times in their careers, respectively. Junior Lea McFadden (Chillicothe/Paint Valley) and sophomores Kassie Bowmar (Sunbury/Big Walnut) and Ava Ehlinger (New Carlisle/Tecumseh) also earned Academic All-OAC recognition.

With this year's roster populated by a bevy of talented underclassmen, the Polar Bears' future is bright as they look toward 2022.

"As a program, we are excited for the spring season. Spring is our chance to be able to grow and really focus on specific areas of our game," Kuhn said. "I can't wait for March and April, which will lead us right into summer and our fall season. We look forward to the opportunity to compete again come August and add a few more talented players to our volleyball family."