High school volleyball: Amherst out to prove 2021 season was no fluke

Amherst had its best season in 30 years in 2021, advancing all the way to the Division I state tournament before losing in the semifinals to Olentangy Liberty. It was the surprise of the season — at least for those who hadn't followed Amherst all year and seen the work put in behind the scenes. Now, the Comets are out to prove last year's state tournament run was no fluke. "I think it's proving people wrong," senior Ava Haddix said about what she's looking forward to this season, "because everyone thinks that was a one-time thing last year, but I want to prove them wrong." Haddix, a 5-foot-8 setter, is one of four returning starters from last season, including seniors Nia Hall, a 5-11 outside hitter, and libero Lindsey McConihe, as well as 6-foot junior middle hitter Cecily Waynar. Amherst also has the luxury of a senior-heavy lineup with seven seniors, three juniors and two freshmen, and a nearly all-senior starting lineup. But the question remains: Is what the Comets bring back enough to make up for what they lost, particularly with the graduation of Laken Voss, the team's setter and last year's Lorain County Miss Volleyball winner. Second-year coach Felicia Sanchez certainly thinks so, though she does acknowledge the loss of three key seniors impacts the team's presence in all areas of the court. "Going into the season, we've been talking all summer about how it's a different expectation and we have to be a different team," Sanchez said. "That's what we've been hitting home all summer is that last year was spectacular for us — we enjoyed it, we embraced it. But at the same time, we have to look at this year as a new year and a new team." Sanchez turned the focus to the mental side of the game over the offseason, readying her team for the inevitable pressure that comes with defending a deep postseason run. She has no doubt in her team's volleyball skill and athletic ability, but how will the Comets respond to having every team in the area focused on taking them down? "We've been training all summer to be different because we can't come out as the same team as last year, and that's a lot of pressure," she said. "We've had a lot of conversations and bonding and a lot of opportunities to just talk about the difference between last year and this year. "I'm sure everybody is waiting to see how we're going to respond. And following up a season after last year comes with a lot of pressure and a lot of pressure for teenage girls, so we've been spending a lot of time this summer focusing more on the mental side of our game than the physical, and that's been a transition for us." But it didn't take as much work to get the team's mind right as Sanchez may have thought. Haddix, Hall and McConihe all spoke to the level of team chemistry as something they feel just as confident in as their volleyball skill. It's what makes their play so dynamic and creates such a challenge for opposing offenses to find even one hole in the team's always-solid defense. "We have the chemistry already so I think it's just about staying disciplined and just leading each other as a team, as a group, because that's what is going to make us go far," Hall said. McConihe added: "We've all been friends with each other for awhile and we just respect each other." "It's a challenge, but we stay calm. That's our chemistry," Haddix said. "We all know how to stay calm and fight through it even when we're playing good teams. "I think we all just are on the same page. Like Lindsey (McConihe) — she doesn't hit but she knows all of our plays, so she can hold hitters accountable, hitters can hold her accountable, and that's what makes our chemistry so good." McConihe will anchor the defense, following in the footsteps of her sister Audrey, who was the Comets' libero before continuing her volleyball career at Cleveland State. They are tough shoes to fill, not so much in living up to her sister's success, but that the Comets are known in Lorain County and beyond for their strong back row play, and when asked what their strengths on the court are going to be this season, Hall, Haddix and McConihe all answered at the same time and without missing a beat: "Defense." The three seniors emphatically agreed that a good dig can fire up a team as much as any strong hit, and with a defense as dominant as Amherst's, it's more fuel for what is already a dynamic and powerful offense. "Our chemistry in the back row is really good," McConihe said. "We've been playing with each other for two years and we just know and trust each other to pick up balls, and if we aren't we hold each other accountable for it." It all goes back to chemistry. Last year, Sanchez said she had a team she believed could essentially coach themselves, and with the core of the team returning is enjoying more of the same as the season begins and describes it as "like having 12 assistant coaches." "They kind of feel like they have a little bit of unfinished business and they have bought into (the idea that) we can do it again," she said. "That team chemistry is kind of feeding into that. Now, not only do they have the team chemistry, they still have a very strong athletic core and they still have that hunger of wanting to get back (to the state tournament)." "They're not backing down from the challenge. They know the season is going to be an uphill battle all season long and they're ready for it." Contact Marissa McNees at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow her @MarissaNM on Twitter.