Orrville volleyball starting to see big improvements
While the Orrville High volleyball team’s record might not show it, progress is starting to show, according to head coach Hillary Plybon.
Coming into the season with just two players who played every set last fall, this year’s Orrville volleyball team has been a work in progress.
But head coach Hillary Plybon isn’t afraid to put on a hard hat and start building.
Just two years removed from their magical run to regionals, the Red Riders find themselves in rebuilding mode — something the fifth-year coach expected and has been working every day to put back together.
“Finding our footing as a completely new group, we’ve had a lot of work to do,” Plybon said. “We’re just working to build and improve our volleyball knowledge, along with working on competing and our mental toughness — some of those things that aren’t necessarily skill-related but can help them get to the next level, along with plenty of skill work in practice every day.
“We’re working to improve every match, and I feel like we’re starting to get better.”
After the graduation of five seniors — including Principals Athletic Conference Player of the Year Averi Haley — Orrville is trying to recapture some of that spark that helped the team to a Division III Elite Eight run in 2021.
And while the team has just three victories entering the week of Sept. 18, that progress is starting to show.
In a recent three-set loss to rival Triway, the Riders pushed the co-PAC leaders to the limit in the first two games before running out of gas with a scrappy defensive effort — something Plybon feels needs to be the calling card for her team in the second half of the season.
“We just want to outwork teams,” she said. “We’re not taller than other teams, so just to win those hustle plays. I thought (against Triway) we engaged a few really long rallies that made us better, so that’s very exciting.
“I’m encouraged, and they’re encourage. They thought it felt different the first two sets just because they dug through, worked and took on the challenge. That’s something we haven’t been able to do, so they do see it. They feel it, and we keep telling them, ‘You are getting better and you are making improvements.’”
Junior outside hitter Katelyn Malcuit and setter Aiiiya Tuggle, who each played all 87 sets for Orrville last season, have emerged as leaders. Malcuit had led the team in hitting (2.2 kills per set) and on defense (2.7 digs/set) while Tuggle has 135 assists after being the team’s top passer and server in 2022.
Combine that with upperclassman like defensive specialists Maddie Warner-Orr and Mia Miller, along with middle/outside hitter Abigail Gonzales, who all have stepped into bigger roles this fall.
That confidence is something that will only benefit Orrville through the second half, and with just one senior (Natalie Dalton) on its roster, it will pay off in a big way for years to come.
“I feel like we’ll get our footing better here. It’s just a lot with so many new players,” Plybon said, “finding out who plays well beside each other, just the right mix, and still looking for some leaders to emerge.
“They’re starting to see that improvement, which is good.”