AULET SELECTED 2022 SETTER OF THE YEAR

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EAST PALESTINE OH- Setting in volleyball is equivalent to a quarterback in football, or a point guard in basketball. No one touches the ball more than any of these positions. Their job is to put every one of their teammates in a position to succeed. It takes someone special to be an elite setter. The YSN family is riddled with exceptional players who take that role on their shoulders. Whether they’re part of 6-2 offense splitting with another setter, or run a 5-1 and bare all the responsibility, having a good athlete in that position is crucial.  We are proud to announce that we have selected Mineral Ridge’s Samantha Aulet as the 2022 setter of the year!

Aulet is just a junior but she has already eclipsed 1,000 career assists. Even more impressive is the fact that she’s only been the starting varsity setter for two of her three seasons with the team. She had a good role model her freshman season though in her sister Danielle who finished with more than  2,000 assists in her career. Looking at Aulet’s numbers this year, in just 68 sets played she has set up 642 assists. That’s an average of 9.4 assists per set.  One of her biggest strengths that really separates her is her consistency. In the 1607 sets she’s sent in the air, she has only made 11 ball handling errors all season.  She contributes in other aspects of the game too, as all setters who run a 5-1 should. She has 234 digs so far which ranks 3rd on the team.  She gets aggressive at the net as well with 59 kills out of the front row.

Aulet and her Rams are still alive and well in the district tournament. They will match up with fellow state ranked Kirtland on Wednesday in Grand Valley at 7:30. Congratulations again to Samantha Aulet the 2022 YSN Setter of the Year!

BREWING UP THE WINS

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BELOIT OH- West Branch sits as one of the top volleyball teams in the area. They have put up some of the best defensive numbers collectively of any team in the YSN family. But don’t let that fool you, the Warriors have plenty of weapons to help put the ball down. One of those arms in their arsenal is Claire Brunner. The senior has helped the Warriors become one of the most feared teams to contend with in the area.

Looking at a runner’s numbers to this point in the season shows you how efficient she can be.  In 66 sets played she leads the team with 152 kills. She is averaging over 2 kills per set.  With over 400 total attacks, she has only made 55 errors this season. She has a hitting percentage over .200 as well.

Brunner took time to come on YSN’s Running Point to talk about her senior season. She talks with YSN’s Richie Juliano and Anthony Hartwig  about her senior season, what kind of leader she has become, and so much more. Check out the latest West Branch Volleyball player profile only on YSN!

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SIMONS EARNS 2022 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

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AUSTINTOWN OH- It’s not very often we see a freshman come in to a program and immediately separate herself not just from the players in that season, but the program’s record books. Rylie Simons stepped on to Fitch’s gym floor and never missed a beat. In her freshman season she has already broken the record for assists in a match, and assists in a season. With those kinds of numbers it’s not crazy to think she could break the career assist record down the line.  Simons’ immediate impact is why we at YSN have decided to name her our 2022 Freshman of the Year.

In 81 sets played so far, Simons has dished out 808 assists.  That’s pretty much 10 assists per set.  She has also only made 20 ball handling errors all season.  Simons contributes a ton on defense as well. She ranks 2nd on the team in digs with 218 to this point.  Simons is 2nd on the team in service aces with 47, and she has also gathered 38 kills from the setter position.

Austintown Fitch is still fighting for a district championship. The 4th seeded Falcons will play the 6th seeded Hudson Explorers on Tuesday at 7:30 at Mentor High School. Congratulations again to Rylie Simons, 2022 YSN Freshman of the Year.

 

WALTERS NAMED 2022 COACH OF THE YEAR

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EAST PALESTINE OH- The YSN family is blessed with many tremendous volleyball coaches. Their success goes way past wins and losses on the floor. YSN features some of the most highly respected coaches in the state based on the way they carry themselves in the coaching community. That is why singling one out as Coach of the Year is so hard. Our staff worked hard to fairly pick out one coach that stood out the most this season. We are proud to announce that Girard head coach Phil Walters has been selected as the 2022 YSN Coach of the Year.

Girard has run out to an impressive 21-3 record so far. Their big wins on the season over Lakeview, Fitch, Crestview, and West Branch tipped the scales. Girard is the top seed in the Division II Northeast District.  Wellsville is the only other YSN team to earn a top seed.  Phil has gotten the most out of his players this year. It is not just his big hitters LAUREN Pallone, and Bree Latell doing damage. We have seen dramatic development of players like Esra Dede, Nico Cochran, and Maddie Malito.  This shows that Walters is not a coach who just leans on the talent he has, he is a master at player development, and one of the smartest coaches around.

Girard is still alive in the district tournament. They have an upcoming semifinal matchup with Aurora on Wednesday at 6:00 at Jefferson High School. Congratulations to Coach Walters, and the Indians on an incredible season, and we sure hope it continues for as long as possible.

2022 ALL YSN VOLLEYBALL TEAMS ANNOUNCED

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EAST PALESTINE OH- It has been an incredible volleyball season inside the YSN family.  At the end of the regular season, YSN featured six state ranked teams across every division. The players put in the hard work, and now it’s time to recognize the ones that stood out the most. We are proud to introduce the 2022 edition of All-YSN Volleyball! A total of 52 players have been recognized by our staff, who put in the time and consideration to come up with this list. Without further ado, here are the All-YSN volleyball teams

1st Team: (In No Particular Order) 

Jocelyn Jourdan- Fitch

Tara Lytle- Lakeview

Maggie Pavlansky- Lakeview

Parker Wilkins- Canfield

Samantha Aulet- Mineral Ridge

Rylie Simons- Fitch

Presley Stokes- Wellsville

Lauren Pallone- Girard

Bree Latell- Girard

Grace Auer- Crestview

Abbey Emch- Crestview

Alyvia Hughes- Western Reserve

Kendall Brunn- Campbell

2nd Team: (In No Particular Order) 

Kyia White- East Liverpool

Alana Amato- Wellsville

Madeline Shirkey- Garfield

Lauren Miasek- Heartland Christian

Reagan Price- Lakeview

Maria Rasile- McDonald

Allison Durkin- Girard

Maria Primavera- South Range

Courtney Clark- Howland

Faith Schneider- Mineral Ridge

Lisa Eichert- Western Reserve

Mia Lee- East Palestine

Rylee Mellott- Southern

Honorable Mention: (In No Particular Order) 

Abby Muckleroy- Canfield

Maddy Cleevely- Canfield

Cami Goske- Boardman

Ashley Shroades- Southern

Bailey Walters- Girard

Kylie Folkwein- Fitch

Blake Thomas- Sebring

Addison Burick- Louisville

Remi Ryan- Jefferson

Maria Fire- Cardinal Mooney

Ava Heinrich- Columbiana

Claire Brunner- West Branch

Ava Hulett- Mineral Ridge

Gianna Constantino- McDonald

Baelyn Brungard- Springfield

Dalani Ice- East Liverpool

Lexi Muck- Liberty

Gabby Barnard- Garfield

Carla Ramirez Ortiz- Campbell

Hannah Rush- West Branch

Sarah Forsyth- Poland

Peyton Roberts- Beaver Local

Kennedy Caldwell- Champion

Paige Grope- Jackson Milton

Rylee McDonough- LaBrae

Trinity Lamb- Ursuline

Congratulations to all of the student athletes on an incredible 2022 season, and best of luck to those who are still playing for tournament glory!

NOTHING STOPS THE RAMS FROM GETTING IN TO DISTRICTS

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KIRTLAND OH- Mineral Ridge had a sizeable road trip for their sectional final on Saturday. It didn’t bother them too much though as the Rams went to Kirtland and swept Wickliffe on a neutral floor. (25-23 25-14 25-17)

 

Faith Schneider led the Rams offense by finishing with 13 kills.  Ava Hulett was also a strong weapon for the Rams finishing with 9 kills.  Samantha Aulet did what she does best and set up 32 assists. She completed a double double with 11 digs. Schneider also finished with a double double leading the team in digs with 20.

Mineral Ridge advances to the Grand Valley bracket District Semifinal.  They’ll be matched up with 3rd seeded Kirtland. That game will be the night cap on Wednesday at 7:30 at Grand Valley High School.

GENEVA NOT ENOUGH TO STOP WARRIORS

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JEFFERSON OH- It was probably a bigger battle than West Branch anticipated in Saturday’s sectional final against Geneva. The Warriors got everything they wanted from the 15th seeded Eagles. In the end Geneva wasn’t enough to stop West Branch from moving on. The Warriors took away the four set victory.  (25-18 25-16 16-25 25-23)

It was a well balanced out offense for the Warriors. Claire Brunner and Mikayln Fitts both led the way with 6 kills. Olivia Showalter chipped in with 5 kills on the day.  Hannah Rush and Isabel Martig both set well tying for the team lead in assists with 11.  Ragan Greeneisen led the defense with 26 assists out of the back row.

West Branch sets their sights on the district semifinals. They are matched up with 5th seeded Jefferson at 7:30 on Wednesday at Streetsboro High School.

FALCONS HAVE THEIR SIGHTS SET ON DISTRICTS

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AUSTINTOWN OH- Fitch played their final home game of the season on Saturday as they hosted Nordonia for a sectional championship. The seeding said It was a mismatch, but Nordonia fought hard. Falcons were the better team and proved it at the end of every close set. They worked hard to a sweep to lock in their spot in districts. (25-22 25-23 25-23)

Jocelyn Jourdan led the Falcons with yet another double double on the season. She finished with 15 kills, and 17 digs. She also blocked a pair.  Afton Roby had double digit kills with 10, and managed 2 blocks at the net.  Izzy Direnzo led the defense with 19 digs. She served up 2 aces from the service line. Rylie Simons set up 24 assists, and gathered 8 digs.

Fitch moves on to the district semifinals in the Division I Mentor bracket. They will be matched up with 6th seeded Hudson at 7:30 on Tuesday at Mentor High School.

BLUE DEVILS SWEEP THEIR WAY TO SEMIFINALS

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MCDONALD OH- McDonald had no problems in the sectional final on Saturday as they pinched their ticket to a district semifinal. The Blue Devils broke out the brooms to sweep the Youngstown Academy For Urban Scholars (25-5 25-9 25-6)

Halie Shiley led the Blue Devils in kills with 5. The offense for McDonsld was spread out. They finished as a team with 25 kills from 12 different players.  Cierra Shiley added 4 kills on the night.  Ava Salamone led the Blue Devils setting with 12 assists. Halie Shiley also served up 8 aces to lead the Blue Devils. Maria Rasile had 7 aces.

McDonald will advance to the district semifinals in the Lisbon bracket of Division IV.  They’ll be matched up with 8th seeded Dalton.  That game is slated to start at 7:30 on Tuesday at Lisbon High School.

CARDINALS FLY INTO NEXT ROUND

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CHARDON OH- Canfield had a battle on their hands in the sectional final of their district bracket. They were lined up with a talented Perry Pirates team.  The Cardinals had enough steam to push to a four set victory to advance in the tournament.

The Cardinals offense was very balanced, Abby Muckleroy led the offense with 13 kills. Two other players finished with 12 as Addie Fonderlin and Carly Slaven had good days swinging.  Maddy Cleevely and Bella Bucciarelli both had 11 kills as well.  Riley Kinkade helped spread out that offense with a team high 27 assists.  Parker Wilkins led the defense with 20 digs on the night.

Canfield punches their ticket to the district semifinals. They’ll need all that firepower as they’ll square off with a talented Notre Dame Cathedral Latin who is the highest seed in the Streetsboro bracket. The match is slated for 6:00 at Streetsboro on Wednesday.