ROSSFORD — Lake, Eastwood, and Otsego have been the big guns in Northern Buckeye Conference volleyball, taking every conference championship except one since 2011.
In his 10th year at the helm, Rossford coach Joe Durco would like to change that, but the Bulldogs are already behind the starting gun, having loss league matches to new NBC members Oak Harbor and Maumee.
The Bulldogs are 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the league after losing Thursday’s conference match to host Eastwood (5-1, 3-1), 25-11, 25-14, 25-20. For the Eagles, Joelle Jared had nine digs and four aces, Nadia Miller and Mackenna Miller had 10 kills apiece, and Addie Hartman had six kills and three aces.
Those are the kind of games Durco wants to see his team win, but instead the Eagles swept the Bulldogs in three sets.
“The NBC is a highly competitive league,” Durco said. “We would love to win league but with the excellent teams my players will determine their outcome.
“Competition in the league is fierce, great teams, and newcomers Oak Harbor and Maumee will bring their very best to compete.”
The Bulldogs have had measurable success, finishing 11-12 overall last year and 8-6 in the league. In 2016 Rossford reached the district semifinals.
Durco says the strengths of this year’s team is their “competitiveness, serving, selflessness, and trusting themselves.”
However, he believes the Bulldogs must “overcome past experiences with teams that we didn’t fare too well with.”
Durco has six letter winners returning, including senior Olivia Rust and juniors Scarlett Williams, Bennett Murtha, Sophia Shinaver and Sadie St. Mary.
Rust, who has committed to playing NCAA Division I volleyball at Oakland University in Michigan, was first team All-NBC and all-district last year, Williams and Murtha received league and district honors and Shinavar got district honors.
Durco says Rust, St. Mary, Williams and freshman Caitlyn Extine are his top hitters this year.
Shinavar will lead the setting duties, and top defenders are Murtha at libero and sophomores Nicole Grix and Cali Adams. Top servers are St. Mary, Rust, Shinavar, Murtha and Grix.
Durco says St. Mary and Grix are his most improved players, but adding to the mix as newcomers are Extine and Adams.
Durco liked what he saw his players do during the offseason.
“I’m extremely proud of how our summer went this year,” Durco said. “Freshman Caitlyn Extine will be exciting to watch as she develops throughout the year.”
“Olivia Rust will be playing her last year with determination to lead and excel in the classroom as well as the court. I’m looking forward to seeing how our back row develops throughout the season and improves every week.”
Rossford’s lone conference win came over Genoa, 25-15, 25-21, 19-25, 25-17 as Rust had 17 kills and 16 digs, St. Mary had five aces, Murtha had 15 digs, and Shinavar had 25 assists.
In Rossford’s only other win, the Bulldogs were down 2-0 in sets but came back to win in five sets at Evergreen, 14-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-25-15, 15-12.
Rust had a game-high 21 kills plus 10 digs, St. Mary had seven aces, Extine had three blocks, including one solo block, Murtha had 16 digs, Grix and Shinavar had 12 digs apiece, and Shinavar had 40 assists.
