Talawanda volleyball dominates in early season; player passes career milestone
Talawanda's volleyball team currently leads the conference in kills, blocks, assists, digs, aces and pass average.
Talawanda High School’s girls volleyball team added to its winning record in a recent game against the Fairfield Indians on Sept. 3, winning all three sets and improving their overall record to 7-1.
The game further cements Talawanda’s position as the top team in the Southwest Ohio Conference.
The latest win follows a hard-fought match against Bellbrook on Saturday, where Talawanda came back from a two-set deficit to secure a win.
Head coach Ruchelle Dunwoody said the game against Bellbrook has been a big motivator for the team and a lesson for future games.
“That game just kind of propels us, and fuels us, to start the games early,” Dunwoody said. “Us just maintaining our composure, energy and just trying to be two percent better every day is propelling us forward.”
In the most recent game, junior Abby Noga was recognized for surpassing 1000 assists in her high school career.
“I feel really good,” Noga said. “I watched my sister get her 1,000, so I think that just made me feel really good that I could finally have a one-up on her. But I honestly couldn’t do it without any of my teammates, with the passes and the kills, it’s all thanks to them.”
Junior Elise Olenick, who leads the conference with 78 kills, said the team tries not to let conflicts on and off the court interfere with their bond.
“One thing that we really value at Talawanda is sisterhood, and it’s always something that should be constantly worked on,” Olenick said.
Noga said the team's success this season is due to the connections they’ve made with each other on and off the court.
“We’re all really good friends, we all go to get food together and I think we hold each other accountable when things don’t go our way,” Noga said. “I think our tight bond makes us really come together in the key moments.”
Talawanda players lead the Ohio Southwest Conference in kills, blocks, assists, digs, aces and pass average. Photo by Austin Smith
Looking forward, the girls said they wanted to prevent injuries, such as the most recent one affecting their libero, the team’s primary defensive player. The team aims to create strong bonds with players as they step in for others when injuries happen.
“The biggest goal is to try and keep everyone healthy, or get everyone back, and then trying to maintain our positive bonds and working hard every day,” Dunwoody said, “because it’s great right now to be winning [now], but this is not our goal, and we want to go far in the tournament.”
The girls said that they motivate each other on and off the court through locker room songs and friendship so they can persevere when they are behind in a game or face a challenge.
“When bad things happen on the court, they just try to put it out of their memory and fight for the next point,” Dunwoody said. “I mean, our motto this year has been ‘tough after 20’ and I think they’ve been living up to that.”
The volleyball team’s next match is scheduled for Sept. 5 at Mt. Healthy High School.
