PREVIEW: Waite volleyball

Head coach Aerika Blankenship takes over the Waite volleyball program this fall, and she’s excited for her team’s potential.

“We have a really great group of girls that have come out to open gyms and things so far,” she said. “It's been really nice getting to know them all and seeing their levels of passion and skill that they already have.”

The Indians won two games last year and graduated the trio of Rayne Dehring, Riley Kuharchek and Carli Wilson.

They’ll be led by Blankenship, who is a teacher at Waite in the Toledo Public Schools system. She spent some time away from the sport after playing in high school. Then, this job opened up, and she jumped at the opportunity.

“I'm really excited, and I think the girls are, too,” she said. “There have been a lot of questions from them about positioning and extending practices. They’re really excited to get into our mandatory practices because they're saying open gym isn't enough. They're really excited, and they were looking at a couple of our opponents, hoping that maybe we can win some more games this season.”

Some of those key players for Waite will be talented multi-sport athlete SuRyah Quisno, as well as De’Ajah Meredith, Patricia Duncan, Jae’Lynn “Jhanae” Hannah, and Daija Calhoun.

“I’m seeing a lot of strong leadership skills in a lot of my seniors and juniors, especially,” Blankenship said. “I have a few sophomores who are taking initiative at open gym and leading stretches or things that the girls need help with. They're offering a hand to my underclassmen, which is really exciting to see. And it's all without having said anything to them. There's not a lot of coaching that's allowed to go on at open gyms, so this is just their natural personalities and their natural leadership skills that are coming out.”

Among that group, Quisno could see time at several positions.

“We're looking at a lot of different opportunities for her because she seems to be really good all around,” Blankenship said.

Another key veteran is senior libero Tashiana Moore.

“She has shown a lot of promise already in open gyms,” Blankenship said. “We're excited to see where she goes.”

Waite opens the regular season Aug. 19, and their first home event is one week after that.

“The biggest thing is we have a lot of really hard workers,” Blankenship said. “They're willing to put in the effort. I’m new to coaching, but with my background in volleyball, I’ve noticed that some of the girls might be better suited for other positions. And every time we tell them, ‘I want to switch you to outside hitter,’ or ‘I want to switch you to right side hitter,’ they do it without complaint. They're excited, and they put forth their best effort to just see how it's going to work. They have so much skill and just so much potential. I'm excited to see where it takes us.”