Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Oak Harbor was one of three teams with double-digit wins in Northern Buckeye Conference play last year, and second-year head coach Kaytlynn Sandwisch is hoping her team can take that next step.
“I would really, really love to be able to compete for the conference title and 100 percent try to make it out of sectionals,” she said. “Every year there's something where maybe you can get a little bit better with. Going forward, I think that competing in our league is honestly fabulous.”
One area which Sandwisch feels her team can potentially close that gap is being competitive longer.
“The biggest thing for me going forward is truly being competitive the entire time, whether we're in the second set, the fifth set, whatever set we're in,” she said. “We need to play to the best of our abilities at all times. I think we kind of get a little winded or it gets kind of taken out of us a little bit by the third, maybe fourth set.
“We need to be able to finish the games. If we want to be a champion then we have to play like a champion. That just has to be the mindset.”
While looking to achieve that mission, Oak Harbor must replace a pair of seniors in Elise Mollison and Allie Giezie. Mollison was named Honorable Mention All-NBC as a middle blocker.
“Elise brought a lot of energy and positivity,” Sandwisch said. “Replacing her will be tough, but the girls knew that. Coming into the summer, the girls knew that they needed to find someone that could bring the energy to the team chemistry and also be able to gel with the team like Elise did.
“Even Allie. She didn't get as much playing time, but I would say both of our seniors last year brought a lot of positivity and a lot of energy. They were always encouraging. They were the person if you were down, you could look to them and they would bring you up.”
This year, the Rockets will be led by a six-person senior class — Tatum Baumgartner, Laney Schmidt, Olivia Detray, Ava Lynch, Alayna Hall (Second Team All-NBC), and Ashlyn Hall.
Junior Morgan Lalonde (Honorable Mention All-NBC) also earned league recognition.
“I think that they saw what they're capable of,” Sandwisch said. “They're competitors. They can compete. They know what it takes, and also most of my girls also play other sports for Oak Harbor so they know what it's like to be a competitor. They know what it takes to win games, and I think all my seniors truly contribute to that — not just energy-wise, but ability-wise.”
Baumgartner, an outside hitter who is one of just four total returning First Team All-NBC players from a year ago, led the Rockets with 274 kills along with her 264 digs.
“I think that she has a work ethic and a drive to constantly want to be better,” Sandwisch said. “She's always critiquing every kill that she has, even if it's just a kill. Like a kill is a good thing. She's always critiquing it. She's always wanting it to be better. That’s one way she stands out — she's always looking at how she can improve and how she can do something better.”
Another key returner is middle blocker Alayna Hall, who produced 266 kills and a team-best 27 blocks. She will be a three-year letterwinner, while Baumgartner is a four-year letterwinner.
“I think they bring a lot of experience,” Sandwisch said of the duo. “They’ve had a lot of exposure to volleyball between travel and high school. They have the drive to be super competitive and the want to win games. They're not content without always being better.”
Sandwisch said that competitiveness is also seen in her libero, Lynch, who led the Rockets with 368 digs last year.
“She will truly lay herself out on the court and do whatever she needs in order to get the ball,” she said.
Schmidt, who led the team in assists with 504 along with 253 digs, will be a setter and back row player. Detray will join her in the back row, and Ashlyn Hall is a front row hitter.
Sandwisch, who said junior Myley Sandwisch and sophomore Bella Rios are competing at the setter position, believes it will take a true team effort should Oak Harbor want to improve upon last year’s 16-7 record and contend for a league title.
“I have five girls playing all the way around, and then I have Ava as my libero,” she said. “It's such a team effort. And it’s not just those on the court. Our bench is what contributes to them, feeding them that energy that they need. They might get exhausted and tired because obviously everyone's pretty much playing all the way around, but that's what the bench contributes to that. They encourage them. And if they get down in a moment, I have that person that can go in and kind of give my starters maybe that break or that relief.”
