In his fourth season as the head coach at Kirtland, Bob Schenosky believes the pieces are in place to compete for the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division title.
The Hornets finished third in league play last season and have had a few obstacles to overcome in the preseason. If all goes well, Kirtland could have a major impact in how the league standings shake out in October.
“We would like to see improvement from our third place finishes over the past three years,” Schenosky said. “However, the two teams in front of us are always tough, and the other teams in our conference, such as Hawken, get better every year. We are a young team with only three senior starters, but we should improve as the year progresses and they all play together more.”
Returning starters include seniors Krista Robejsek, Anna Shuppe, Elise Frazee and junior Katherine Skrbis.
Robejsek is a middle hitter while Shuppe is an outside hitter and setter.
“Krista was a mainstay in the middle but she had to take some time off due to injuries last year, but came back in the playoffs and played through it, which shows her toughness. We expect her to be a dominant middle this year in her final season as a Hornet,” Schenosky said. “Anna excel led as an outside hitter for us last year, finishing second on the team in kills and third in kill percentage. She will handle the setting duties this year. She set for us in her sophomore year and did an excellent job.”
Frazee is a libero and Skrbis is an outside hitter.
“Elise was actually the first libero we had last year in a few years,” Schenosky said. “She was able to take on the role and do quite well, while also becoming a captain. It’s rare we have a junior captain at Kirtland. She was a unanimous team choice to lead us again this year. We expect her to lead our defense and anchor what we consider to be an athletic defense. Katherine was a unanimous first team all-CVC selection last year as a sophomore. She led the team in both kills and kill percentage a year ago. Katherine’s skill set continues to develop in both front and back row play and we expect her to be a force yet again.”
Schenosky also expects contributions from juniors Lilly Kelemen and Nicole Aveni and sophomore Abby Ruckel.
“Lilly had more and more time last year as the season progressed. She is the other half of our 6-foot middles. She has developed into a hitting and blocking force in the middle and is quick and gets well above the net,” Schenosky said. “Nicole played well last year with most time as a defensive specialist. We expect Nicole to get some time this year in the front row as well. She is developing as a hitter. She also has one of the toughest serves on the team. Abby will make the jump from the freshmen team to varsity setter. Her development has been excellent. We expect big things from her over the next three years. Her maturity and decision making on the court are well beyond what I would expect from a sophomore new to the varsity squad.”
For the Hornets, success is going to start with remaining focused throughout each and every match.
That won’t be easy as the Hornets play a rugged schedule.
“Our main goal for the season is to compete in every match,” Schenosky said. “I believe it’s important to compete against top teams to get better. Once again we have a schedule filled with out of conference teams that are in higher divisions. I expect us to finish the year a much better team than early in the season as the girls get used to playing with one another.”
Adding depth as the season progresses will be one of the key’s to Kirtland’s success.
Thanks to the work of JV and Freshman coaches Kris Schenosky and Rene Silders, the Hornets have a host of players who could see some varsity action this season.
“We have some players starting the season splitting time between JV and varsity and would look for them to make an impact on our varsity team before we get to the playoffs,” Schenosky said. “Moreover, our team needs to gel, which just comes with time. We have a talented group of student-athletes. Specific goals in regard to record or finish are difficult with a young group, however, I am hopeful that we will be positively surprised with the development.”
