Tag Archive for: Katelyn Lesko

YSN VOLLEYBALL REGIONAL PREVIEW

EAST PALESTINE OH- The OHSAA Volleyball tournament is Down to its sweet 16 and we have 3 teams in the YSN family hoping to keep advancing the in the regional rounds. All regional  semifinal matches are slated for Thursday night and we have all you need to know about each team’s matchups with our regional preview.

Division IV

Wellsville vs Monroeville 5:30 at Uniontown Lake High School

The Tigers are coming off a decisive district championship victory over Western Reserve. They swept a good Blue Devils team that beat them in five sets earlier in the season. Emma Smith was a big reason why. She led the team with 13 kills and 4 blocks. Smith is the player to watch as the Tigers continue in the tournament. She leads the team in kills with 305. The Tigers gave other options that will need to step up. Teams can have to have multiple reliable hitters to advance at this level. The Tigers have 3 other players with over 100 kills. The 6-2 rotation lends itself to always having hitters available in the front row. And the Tigers have two setters that both do a great job moving the ball around. The biggest thing to watch for the Tigers success is their block. They blocked very well against Western Reserve and as the level of play gets higher, their front row will need to prove they can consistently get hands on balls. That will force attack errors trying to avoid the block.

The Tigers opponent Monroeville comes in to the match undefeated, and have yet to lose a set in tournament play. Their strength is their middle blocker Kylee Brooks who has 319 kills on the season. That is a big matchup between her and the blockers of the Tigers. It won’t be easy. Brooks hitting percentage is .404 which tells me she hasn’t been challenged too much in the block.

For me, the Tigers key to victory is moving their outsides and spreading the ball around. They have a more spread out offense by the numbers. They have to make Brooks run across the net. If they let her stay stationary, or become predictable on offense they will have a tough time.

Mineral Ridge vs Dalton 7:30 at Uniontown Lake High School

The Rams come into regionals with a record of 22-2 and won their district championship in four sets over Columbiana.

Katelyn Lesko is the heart and soul of the Ridge offense. If she finds a rhythm, the other hitters will as well. Katelyn demands so much attention from the opponent’s block that the other hitters usually end up with either an open net, or a one on one situation. The question for the Rams is will they be able to capitalize on those opportunities.  The Rams have arguably the best setter in the area in Danielle Aulet. Her volleyball IQ and instincts are at the highest level.

For the Rams, their biggest challenge will be consistently passing and getting in to system. They struggled with serve receive at times against Columbiana and they need to sure that up. With the size disadvantage they have, they cannot afford to be consistently out of system and become easy to block. I think the player to watch outside of the obvious for Ridge is Morgan Sigley. Not only is her serve deadly, but she fills in the front row while Lesko rotates to the back. Sigley has to stay aggressive and put the pressure on the opponents outsides.

Ridge’s opponent Dalton doesn’t have the best record in the world, coming in to the match with a 16-8 record, but don’t let that fool you, Dalton plays a very tough schedule. Smithville who is the Division III regional semifinal pops up on their schedule twice, along with volleyball powerhouse Orrville. The Bulldogs have a deadly 1-2 punch in middle blocker Brennah Arnold, and outside Tess Denning. Arnold has 320 kills, and Denning has 229. This will make it very tough for Ridge to key in on one of them. Dalton hits pretty efficiently with an impressive team hitting percentage of .256, so I expect the Rams will have to match that and try to stay away from unforced errors.

Division III

Crestview Vs Smithville 8:00 at Barberton High School

The Rebels are making their second trip to Barberton for a regional semifinal in two years. However, this team looks a lot different than last year’s. Eight seniors gone, no problem for the Rebels. They have introduced the amazing 1-2 punch of Grace Auer and Lucy Montgomery, who both have multiple triple doubles on the season. Watching this Rebels team, it’s hard to pick out a glaring weakness. They pass well, they have two great setters, who double as strong hitters. They have a pair of strong muddled in Shelby Rambo, and Molly Emch. Montgomery is one of unique hitters at this level that hits better down the line than cross court. A lot of teams are not used to a hitters first option be down the line. It will be interesting to see how Smithville decides to come out initially on defense, and then what kind of adjustments they make if Montgomery consistently hits line.

 

Smithville is a solid team in a tough conference. They come in with a record of 23-1. Smithville is led by a dominant 5’11 outside hitter in Brooke Fatzinger, she is just 4 kills away from 400 on the season. The Rebels also can’t sleep on Brooke Karlen who has 236 kills herself. The Smithies are another efficient team hitting at a percentage of .268. The Rebels have a higher percentage though hitting .279. This could be a very clean volleyball match, which is always fun to watch. Smithville only have 38 blocks on the season so the Rebels may have an advantage in the middle with Emch and Rambo.

Stay tuned to YSN’s twitter account for score updates throughout the night for all three of the matchups.

-Anthony Hartwig

RIDGE FIGHTS OFF CLIPPERS FOR A DISTRICT TITLE

MINERAL RIDGE OH- Mineral Ridge Volleyball has gone a long time without a district championship. They’ve had several teams over the years with promise who have gotten to the title game, but came up short. Their 2020 squad was determined to put an end to the drought. They’d have to battle their way past a very scrappy Columbiana team in order to do it. The Rams came away with a hard fought four set victory to finally be crowned district champions (25-22 25-16 14-25 25-23).

Leading the Rams offense was Katelyn Lesko who finished with 19 kills on the day. She also completed a double double tallying the team lead in digs with 20. Morgan Sigley had a strong outing finishing with 19 digs, and 9 kills. She had the title clinching kill as well. Danielle Aulet ran the offense to perfection collecting 37 assists.

Columbiana was led by Tori Long who finished with a double double. She tallied 10 kills, and 10 digs. Maddie Witherow put together a strong performance with 7 kills, and 15 digs. Maci Linhart led the Clipper offense with 16 digs. Grace Witmer set up 19 assists. She also compiled 8 digs, and 4 kills.

(Chris Giovannone)

Mineral Ridge advances to the regional semifinals where they’ll travel to Uniontown Lake on Thursday to take on Dalton. That match is set to begin at approximately 7:30.

Columbiana ends the season with a 20-6 record.

(Chris Giovannone)

*Postgame interview with Katelyn Lesko, and Head Coach Ron Lesko

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwwqTyUHEAA[/embedyt]

 

RIDGE EASILY STRIDES TO DISTRICT FINAL

MINERAL RIDGE OH- Mineral Ridge continued their dominance of the Division 4 district with a quick sweep of St John and Paul (25-7 25-23 25-11).

The Rams were led by Katelyn Lesko who recorded a double double with 21 kills and 11 digs, Danielle Aulet also got herself a double double with 26 assists and 12 digs, Morgan Sigley with 20 digs and and 3 kills and Jersey Tucker with 6 digs and 4 kills.The Rams advance to the district title where they’ll host fifth seeded Columbiana. That game is scheduled for Saturday at 1:00.

RIDGE TAKES SHOWDOWN OF NUMBER ONE SEEDS

CORTLAND OH- It was a heavyweight match up set up for Wednesday night between Mineral Ridge and Lakeview, and it did not disappoint. Mineral Ridge took a back and forth affair in 5 sets (21-25 26-24 20-25 25-20 15-13).

It took each team about a set to shake off nerves in set one, as they traded errors back and forth. Lakeview was able to come up with key plays down the stretch to escape with the set 25-21.

In set two trailing 23-24 Mineral Ridge Head coach Ron Lesko made a gutsy decision bringing in Aliyah Whitaker cold off the bench to serve for senior Jersey Tucker. It worked out nicely for the Rams as Whitaker served up clutch points to help Ridge even the match up at 1-1 with a 26-24 victory in set 2.

Lakeview responded quickly out of the gates jumping out to a 4-0 lead in set 3. Maggie Pavlansky served up the rally getting Ridge out of system. Another back and forth set eventually went to the Bulldogs and gave them a 2-1 lead in the match.

Serving errors were a problem all night for Lakeview, and they really showed up in set 4. Ridge would use it to lead most of the set and hold off a late Lakeview push to take set 4 25-20 and force a set 5.

Lakeview once again jumped out to a strong lead coming off of losing a set. The Bulldogs scored the first 3 points and led 4-1. They kept that lead all the way up to 13-9. Then, Ridge senior setter Danielle Aulet stepped up with huge serves to help the Rams end the set, and the match on a 6-0 run to win set 5 15-13.

The Rams were led by Katelyn Lesko who finished with an impressive double double  with 22 kills, and 24 digs. Danielle Aulet set up 41 assists on the night, and also totaled 21 digs to complete a double double herself. She also served up 5 aces. Morgan Sigley finished with 7 kills.

Tara Lytle led the Bulldogs with 11 kills . She also had 3 blocks, and 3 aces. Pavlansky set up 25 assists, and also served 3 aces. Brooke Schneider led in digs with 23.

Mineral Ridge closes out the season on Thursday hosting Brookfield. Lakeview now awaits tournament action where they are the 1 seed and will host the winner of Southeast vs Mogadore Field.

LET’S GO LESKO!

MINERAL RIDGE OH- Katelyn Lesko is a staple of the Mineral Ridge offense this season. She brings strong attacking, and a fast arm swing to her game which makes her extremely hard to slow down. She is a part of every opponent’s game plan.

What goes beyond her stat sheet however, is her leadership and work ethic. Lesko did not wake up one day and automatically find herself one of the best hitters in the area. It took tremendous work, and a whole lot of reps. She gets plenty of swings in the offseason playing club volleyball. It is crucial to a players development and growth to play in the offseason. Katelyn’s experience is invaluable. Lesko’s volleyball experience puts her in a great position to be a leader to the younger girls on the team. She is someone who players can come to for advice on how to improve their game. Katelyn is almost like an extra coach on the court.

This season so far Katelyn has collected 205 kills. She also plays fantastic defense as she currently has 166 digs. That ranks first on the team in kills, and second on the team in digs. She also has served up 43 aces which is also second on the team.

Anthony Hartwig caught up with Katelyn to talk about her senior season. They discuss her leadership qualities, what its like being coached by her dad, and much more. Rams fans can learn all about their star hitter in the latest player profile “Let’s Go Lesko!”

Presented By

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0NRB8PKmoI[/embedyt]

AULET GETS 2,000 RIDGE TAKES CONTROL OF MVAC

BERLIN CENTER OH- There was a lot on the line Thursday night in the match between Western Reserve and Mineral Ridge. The winner would control their own fate in the hunt for a MVAC title. The Blue Devils could pull even with the Rams with a win. Ridge could put plenty of distance between them and Reserve if they won. Also, Rams senior setter was in search of her 2000th career assist. It all worked out the way the Rams wanted as they swept the Blue Devils, and Aulet reached her career milestone (25-22 25-17 25-22).

It was noticeable right away how much was on the line for both these teams. The first set was fierce. No lead got above two for a large portion of the set. Emotions ran high on some controversial calls, players on both sides were diving all over the court to get balls up in the air. You could feel the desire to win in the air. Even the 15% capacity crowd made their presence felt. In the end, the big difference in the game was unforced errors by the Blue Devils. They totaled 18 attack errors, and 7 service errors. Mineral Ridge only made 4 attack errors. Even in the two sets that were tightly contested, Reserve couldn’t make the last push because of mistakes. That being said they still lost two of the three sets by a combined 6 points. With all the errors, the fact that still remained competitive is a testament to their team.

In the second set, Aulet earned her 2,000th career assist on a kill by Morgan Sigley.

Sigley led the Rams with 10 kills. Katelyn Lesko still has a strong night totaling 8 kills. Megan Gerberry led the Rams in digs with 13. Jersey Tucker who came up with two late clutch kills down the stretch, including the one that ended the match also was in double digit digs with 10. Aulet finished with 29 assists.

Dani Vuletich led the Blue Devils with 8 kills and 4 blocks. Alyvia Hughes also tallied 8 kills from the outside. Gianna Paris recorded a double double for the Devils, finishing with 20 assists, and 12 digs.

Mineral Ridge will look to stay unbeaten in the league on Tuesday as they host Waterloo. Western Reserve will try to bounce back as they host Lowellville on Tuesday.

RAMS ROLL THROUGH SEBRING

MINERAL RIDGE OH- The Rams kept their win streak going on Thursday with a competitive sweep against Sebring (25-15 25-22 25-19).

With the conference victory the Lady Rams improved to a season record of 11-1 and a conference record of 8-0. The Rams were led by Jersey Tucker with 9 kills and 11 digs, Danielle Aulet with 24 assists and Hannah Loeb with 4 blocks.

The Rams now look forward to big test on Saturday morning as they travel to Boardman to take on the Spartans

*Contributed By Ron Lesko at ramsathletics.org

RIDGE BRINGS BLUE JAYS DOWN TO EARTH

MINERAL RIDGE OH- Mineral Ridge ended a long Jackson Milton Win Streak Tuesday night with a sweep of the Blue Jays (25-15 25-19 25-19).

With the conference victory the Lady Rams improved to a season record of 10-1 and a conference record of 6-0. The Lady Rams were led by Katelyn Lesko with 17 digs and 14 kills, Danielle Aulet with 33 assists and 1 block and Morgan Sigley with with 8 kills and 5 aces. The Lady Blue Jays were led by Camryn Mitchell with 25 digs, Paige Grope with 25 assists and Kelsie Taylor with 12 kills. Jackson Milton is now 8-2 on the season and 5-2 in the conference.

*Contributed By Ron Lesko at ramsathletics.org

SIGLEY SERVES RAMS TO VICTORY

MINERAL RIDGE OH- With the conference victory over McDonald the Lady Rams improved to a record of 8-1 on the season and 5-0 in the conference. (25-7 25-13 25-19) The Lady Rams were led by Morgan Sigley with 13 aces, 12 digs and 27 points, Katelyn Lesko with 16 kills, 9 digs and 3 aces and Danielle Aulet with 22 assists and 3 aces. The Lady Blue Devils were led by Maria Rasile with 13 service points, and 3 aces, Grace Bundy with 9 digs and 2 kills and Olivia Booth with 4 digs.

*Contributed by Ron Lesko at rams athletics.org

RAMS REMAIN PERFECT

MINERAL RIDGE OH- Mineral Ridge keeps on winning with a straight sweep of Waterloo on Thursday (25-11 25-18 25-16).

With the win the Lady Rams improved to a season record of 7-0 and a conference record of 4-0. The Lady Rams were led by Katelyn Lesko with 15 kills, 5 digs and 2 aces, Danielle Aulet with 23 assists, 8 digs and 2 aces and Jersey Tucker with 11 digs, 10 kills and 5 aces. Waterloo Vikings were led by Kyleigh Eddy with 9 assists, 7 kills and 6 blocks. Waterloo is now 0-5 on the season.

*Contributed By Ron Lesko at ramsathletics.org