Wayne HS Making Big Strides
Wayne High School is a team that may surpise some opponents this season. Having only won two matches over the past two seasons, including finishing 0-16 in a shortened 2020 campaign, the Warriors are poised to bring an improved mindset…
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Continue ReadingWayne High School is a team that may surpise some opponents this season. Having only won two matches over the past two seasons, including finishing 0-16 in a shortened 2020 campaign, the Warriors are poised to bring an improved mindset and style to their play and competitiveness. Head coach Sarah Miller, who also leads Western Buckeye Volleyball club, has been working to rebuild the culture at Wayne and should see some much improved execution and results this fall season. The Warriors have a core group of athletes that should do most of their work and it starts with a group that collectively passes well and should make plays defensively and extend points. Offensively, they have a trio of capable arms that should increase efficiency and points scoring across the front row. I recently spent nearly a week in the gym with the Warriors and saw some great progress in all areas of the game in a short amount of time. Along with their defense, the other exciting element of this program is that they have a nice collection of younger players that are athletic, have good skills, and have increased this program’s presence in the club volleyball scene. Here are a few athletes to look for this season:
Samara Wilcox – OH
Wilcox will be a junior and is the only returning member that earned recognition from the GWOC in 2020 as she was awarded ‘Special Mention’. She has good all-around skills that includes making contributions to the first-contact effort. She also brings athleticism as she gets good lift off the floor at the net and is one that can swing with good movement and aggressiveness.
Genesis Howard-Morrison – OH
Along with Wilcox, these two are the most complete players on the team. Given her efficient movement around the floor and ability to swing at a high contact point when on time and in getting her feet to the ball, Howard-Morrison will be critical to the Warriors’ forward progress. She has some of the best platform skills in serve receive as she gets to the ball with good first-step reaction and understands how to create space and timing for their offense to develop, which in turn should help her out when approaching to attack.
Ericka Reed – MH
Reed has the heaviest arm of their core attackers. She also has good physicality at the net to provide some presence that will garner attention from opposing defenses and will allow their pin action to get some good looks. She has improved in a variety of aspects of the game both at the service line, blocking, and in her ability to swing aggressively on quick options around the setter.
Bryana Howard – RS
Howard should provide most of the action from the opposite position and is capable of taking healthy swings. She is one of the veterans of the team being a senior and made some great progress in some of the mechanical details of her armswing. She may be the wild card for them to be able to increase some of the balance they are looking for offensively around the court.
Maya Zinkiewicz – DS/L
Some of the best eyework and pursuit of the ball comes from Zinkiewicz. She shows really good engagement towards the first touch in serve receive and defense and should increase their efficiency and production overall in creating good opportunities for their offense. She reads point flow and opposing hitters well and has improved her understanding of angle production to give her setter good space and time to distribute the ball.
Mallory Limberg – DS/L
Limberg was a nice surprise during this training session as she is an athlete that has a keen interest in growing her knowledge of the game as well as understanding how things are to be done and where she can make corrections. She will add good depth to the ball control and defense while also showing skills as a backup to the setter if needed.