Lake’s Bekier returns for national champion Express

It had been 264 days since the Owens Express Volleyball team won the program's first National Championship, and the business of defending that title began on August 1.
Coach Sonny Lewis, entering his 19th season at the helm, and his Express hit the court for the first time since that night back in early November, beginning preparation for the 2019 volleyball season. 
        Owens is coming off of the school's first national championship in program history. The team finished the season 40-6 overall and won their fourth straight Ohio Community College Athletic Conference title, finishing 16-0 in the league.
        Lewis was named Division III Coach of the Year, while Michaela Eisenhauer was named Player of the Year. Sophomores Kennedy Ames and Summer Sweeting were named to the NJCAA Division III All-Tournament Team this past season. 
Lewis, along with longtime assistant Denny Caldwell, welcome back four returners from last year's squad, coupled with eight newcomers that will look to repeat as national champions this season. Helping lead the way is 5-foot-10 sophomore outside hitter Kayla Bekier (Lake).
The most seasoned player returning is sophomore Kara Schafer. The Monroeville native finished second on the team in assists (581) last year behind Sweeting. She will now take over as the lead setter for the Express this fall.
Leading the way up front will be Bekier and sophomore Shyah Wheeler. Bekier finished fourth on the team in kills (199) a year ago, while Wheeler finished sixth in kills (150). The Express will also be counting on McKinsey Finnen as well this season, who finished with 59 kills a year ago. 
The Express bring in eight fresh faces this year to help continue the program's winning ways. They are Rebecca Brown, Megan Dunne, Raelyn Hutchinson, Olivia Materni, Taylor Momany, Semira Neely, Tyriana Settles, and Arielle Snider. 
The team's only scrimmage will be on August 17 in the SHAC against Schoolcraft at 11 a.m. The team's first match will be at the McHenry Invitational against Kansas City Community College. 
Owens's first home match will be on Wednesday August 28, when the Express will host Lorain, who finished as Region XII runner up a year ago to Owens.  (— Chris Schmidbauer/Owens Sports Information Director)