Lake volleyball seeking first league title in 44 years

Lake volleyball is seeking its’ first league title since 1976, when the Flyers competed in the Northern Lakes League.

That was long before rally scoring took effect and the high school game has changed in multiple ways since then, says Lake coach Amy Vorst, whose team is 17-2.

“Our No. 1 goal is to win the league, and then our No. 2 goal is to win a district championship. In school history, our school has never won a district championship. So that’s another one on our list and if we can get to the regional level, we’d be ecstatic,” Lake coach Amy Vorst said.

The Flyers were ranked 20th in the Division III state poll until Eastwood, Vorst’s alma mater, took them down 22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-13 last week. The Flyers and Eagles both have one loss in the league, to each other, and the final week of the season will determine if either can win an outright championship.

“We would have to get past Otsego on Thursday and then we still have Woodmore Tuesday and Fostoria Thursday,” Vorst said. “So, it wouldn’t be over until next Thursday. If Eastwood were to lose then it would be a different story.

“But we had a chance to tie it against Otsego last year, but then lost in five at home, so I mean we’ve been close the last couple years. We still have to get past everybody the second time,” Vorst continued.

“We got past Otsego and Eastwood the first time, but we lost to Eastwood the second time. They are always good. They are always aggressive passers and they are always aggressive servers. He (coach Jeff Beck) does a good job.”

The Flyers’ other loss was to Ottawa-Glandorf, ranked first in the state in the D-III poll. The Titans took down the Flyers in straight sets.

“The first set they handled us pretty easily,” Vorst said. “We lost in three, but in the second and third sets we were actually ahead in both of those sets and then gave up too many runs, so it’s not like they annihilated us. We competed and we played them early in the season. They are a legit team.”

Other than that it’s been smooth sailing for Lake, which has won 51 of 63 sets, including the losses to O-G and Eastwood.

“I’m excited. The girls are really working hard, and they care about their team,” Vorst said. “The girls really get along. We have great chemistry on our team, and I think that is a key to any successful program and that is you have kids who understand its about more than just themselves.” 

The Flyers are led by junior middle hitter Cassidey Wiley, who has 36 aces, 215 kills on 470 swings and 32 blocks. 

“Cassidey is usually our leader or a close second every match. She’s got good experience,” Vorst said. “She plays on a pretty high-level club team. She’s a good all-around player. She broke our ace record (97 aces) and she’s serving aggressively this year. But, she’s a great all-around player.”

Sophomore Ella Vorst, the coach’s daughter, has 44 aces, 173 kills on 412 swings and 34 blocks.

“That’s who we go to most of the time to try and establish middle first,” coach Vorst said. “She leads our team in blocks. She’s 6-foot-2, so she’s taller than I am now, and that’s crazy.”

Two freshmen have stepped up to play major roles — Taryn DeWese has 34 aces, 186 kills on 512 swings, 27 blocks, 238 assists, and 155 digs. Vavda Delventhal has 27 aces, 339 assists and 182 digs.

“To our outside hitters, we call them pins, and our top pin-hitter right now is a freshman, Taryn DeWese, and she led us in kills against Whitmer and Rossford,” Vorst said. “She is our outside setter and she leads in a lot of categories. She is a great all-around player.

“Another one of our top players, Vayda Delventhal, is leading us in assists. But she plays six rotations as well, so she’s a pin and a setter, and she’s a great passer, and great defensive kid. She is just a hard-nosed kid who gives you everything she’s got every single day.

“Our libero this year is also a freshman. Sydney Stanley — we threw her in a bunch of different spots. We tried a few different kids in a libero jersey, but she’s really improving and she’s coming on late in the season, so she’s doing a really great job for us.”

Obviously, the team is young, but it still has height.

“We were really tall last year. We graduated three six-footers last year,” coach Vorst said. “We have four players, our two outside hitters and out two middle hitters, are all over 5-foot-10, so we’re pretty tall.

“We have one senior (Taylor Asman) this year and she’s exactly what you look for in a leader,” Vorst said. “She takes a lot of responsibility on our team, and she’s playing as a DS (defensive specialist) right now. She is another impressive server and she’s just a great kid.”

Other juniors on the team include OH Lani Robinson and defensive specialists Abbie Rymers and Phoebe Scott. Other sophomores contributing are DS Julia Blazevich and OH Skyler Foster. Right side hitter Addison Schultz is the fourth freshman on the varsity.