Perrysburg junior Mackenzie Hurley (12), left, and Wrigley Takats (13), right, stretch to block a shot during the second set of a match against Amherst Steele at Perrysburg Saturday. Perrysburg defeated Amherst Steel in three sets four (25-12, 27-17, 6-25, 27-25). (Scott W. Grau/Sentinel-Tribune)
PERRYSBURG — Not only did last year’s Perrysburg volleyball team reach the state tournament, but they shared the Northern Lakes League title with Springfield, finishing 21-7 overall and 12-2 in the league.
The Yellow Jackets return eight varsity players, including junior middle blocker Wrigley Takats, junior outside hitter Sophie Burkey, junior defensive specliast Brooklynn Okeneski, sopohomore outsdie hitter Katie Pahl, sophomore setter Casey Ng, and senior setter Lydia Steyer.
Burkey and coach Laura Davidson say this year’s team already has a game plan for winning, and part of that is strong serving.
Davidson says Okoneski, Pahl, Takats and Burkey have already proven themselves as capable of putting opponents on their heels from the start, and Burkey says that will be a good start to every point.
“We have a lot of talent returning, but we also have some newcomers,” Burkey said. “I think one thing we are going to be focusing a lot on is our serving.
“I could see in this (season opening) game (against visiting Amherst Steele Saturday) we had a tremendous amount of aces. To focus on getting the other team out of their system is just going to be huge for us.”
Davidson says Burkey (64 kills, 22 aces, 12 block assists, 74 digs last year), a third-year varsity player, is a “strong player with club experience” who has earned the starting outside hitter role.
Takats (225 kills, 40 aces, 18 solo blocks, 76 block assists, 72 digs), who has two years varsity and club experience, was honorable mention all-district and second team All-NLL last year.
Davidson says Takats, over six feet tall, is “strong” at the net. Takats has visited Eastern Michigan University but has not made any college commitments yet.
Davidson says Pahl (104 kills, 17 aces, 3 solo blocks, 29 block assists, 118 digs), a lefty, has a “heavy arm,” will be a “go-to” scorer after she “saw a lot of playing time on the varsity as a freshman” last year.
The Perrysburg coach adds that the return of setters, Steyer (11 kills, 4 block assists) and Ng (13 aces, 77 digs, 17 assists), “brings good experience and leadership to the court.”
At defense, Davidson says Okoneski (70 digs) is “stepping up as libero,” adding that Okoneski is “consistent and gained great experience last year on varsity.”
Davidson added, “Freshman Macey White has ton of potential to help us in the backrow, Maddie Trautman (75 digs, 3 assists) is staying consistent and playing strong as a defensive player for us.”
Despite losses to graduation, Davidson says the Yellow Jackets are “reloading,” which is becoming an annual occurence at Perrysburg.
“Reloading is fun, especially coming off strong year and many of those players being a part of the state run,” Davidson said.
“Brooklynn is our most improved and Lydia Steyer, my senior setter, are most improved and looking to make an impact.
“Mia Brandeberry will put down some balls consistently. And Macey White, a freshman defensive specialist, is a hard worker looking to really contribute when her name is called.”
As a result, Davidson feels confident about her team’s chances of winning their 21st NLL championship (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022).
“We are always a competitor, so I predict winning the top half of the NLL or close to it,” Davidson said.
“We will certainly have a lot of competition. Anthony Wayne will be tough. Fremont Ross has some really good players and Springfield has their player of the year back. Best league in Northwest Ohio.
“Our high-level experience is real and they set their sights high and we had four great scrimmages this preseason. When we pass well, we click very well. We will get better every week, too, I can see that being true as well.
“It’s about trusting they can be a great team like teams in the past. They have the talent and need to prove it to themselves.”
Davidson is in her eighth year with an overall record of 131-42 (.757). She was NLL Coach of the Year in 2018, 2019, and 2021.
The Perrysburg program reached the regional finals in 2021, state final four in 2007 and 2022, were state champions in 1979 and state runner-up in 1981.
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