High school volleyball notes: Olmsted Falls wins three matches … and drops a spot in the state poll
Steve Byrne | The Chronicle-Telegram
The second Ohio high school volleyball poll of 2008 was announced Monday. So what did Olmsted Falls do wrong last week?
The Bulldogs were No. 2 in Ohio in the Division I poll that came out Sept. 6. Falls is ranked third this week, in spite of a taking trio of three-game victories between then and now, including a win over Beaumont that halted the Blue Streak’s seven-match winning streak.
Olmsted Falls has won all 12 of its matches this season. The Bulldogs are 31-4 in games and were this year’s champions of the Best of Ohio, probably the most prestigious of all regular-season tournaments in the state.
Yet Ursuline Academy of Cincinnati switched places with Falls in this week’s rankings. Ursuline didn’t beat anyone it wasn’t supposed to beat in going 4-0 last week.
“Maybe there were different people voting,” Falls coach Dawn Moses said. “The same people don’t vote every week. I know Ursuline has been playing very well.”
Ursuline is 9-0 and has lost only two games while winning 23. The Lions have beaten ranked opponents Mother of Mercy and St. Ursula. All three of those schools belong to the mega-tough Girls Greater Cincinnati League. Nine of the 14 teams in the GGCL are ranked this week. Olmsted Falls is the only team ranked in the top four in Division I that isn’t a GGCL club.
“We will just let those Cincinnati teams beat up on each other,” said Moses, begging the question of whether a brutal conference schedule toughens a team for postseason action or wears it out.
Should the Bulldogs get to find out how good volleyball is played in the Queen City (on the second weekend of November), Christine Peffer should be a big reason.
Peffer might not get the publicity other Bulldogs receive. Perhaps not having the number 6 on the left side of her height listing is why.
“She’s not a big girl,” Moses said. “She’s a 5-foot-7 middle hitter, so maybe people are not going to notice her. She’s one of those unsung heroes.”
Peffer already holds the Olmsted Falls career record for blocks and is on track to set the mark for kill percentage. Her average for her career is 50.7 percent. This season she has 98 kills in 197 attempts, a whisker under 50 percent. And Peffer has an all-around game for the first time in her three varsity seasons.
“She never leaves the floor,” Moses said. “We used to rotate her, depending on whether she could be at the net. We keep her out there now.”
Peffer is second in serve percentage (82.8) and tied for second in aces (16). She has 75 digs and is, of course, the team leader in blocks (28).
Other poll notes
No other area team landed on the state list, although the efforts of three local teams dispatched three teams from the honor roll.
Brookside’s five-game victory over Buckeye on Tuesday knocked the Bucks, No. 11 in Week 1, off the Division II list. Solon, ranked 16th last week, is gone thanks to Elyria’s five-game victory on Thursday. Midview sent former Division I No. 20 Hudson packing with a victory over the Explorers at the Westlake Quadrangular on Saturday.
Kenston moved from fifth last week to third in Division II, due primarily to the Bombers’ victory over Elyria in the title match of the Rocky River Invitational.
Contact Steve Byrne at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ali Gendron, Brookside
CLASS: Senior
POSITION: Outside hitter
LAST WEEK: Set a Brookside record for kills in a match with 35 in a five-game victory over Buckeye. Added 15 kills in a three-game win over Brooklyn.
OTHER SPORTS: Basketball, track (sprints, high jump)
FREE TIME: Enjoys going to the movies with friends. Favorite film genres are horror and comedy. Last good movie she saw was “Dark Knight.”
FUTURE PLANS: Will attend college, but has yet to decide where. Wants to study dentistry eventually.
PARENTS: Joe Gendron and Lisa Jay
| |
|
Filed by Steve Byrne | The Chronicle-Telegram September 16th, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 7% |
 Email this story
 Print this story
Read comments and discuss this story
Report an innappropriate comment
|
In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement
and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered, click here. If you are registered, click here to log in.
Write a Comment