Coming off of a great tenure at West Liberty Salem High School, first-year Northwestern varsity volleyball coach Rebecca Macy is looking forward to what lies ahead with the Warriors this coming season. One goal she has for the Warriors is to compete in the Mad River Division of the Central Buckeye Conference.
“When I resigned from West Liberty Salem last spring, the position came open here at Northwestern,” Macy said. “I knew some of the kids from the club volleyball scene, and the kids wanted me to coach here this year. When their coach stepped down, it presented great timing and an opportunity for me.”
The Arizona native is focusing on bringing the Warriors back to prominence atop league play, and she is excited to see what this talented group can do.
“Overall they are a quality group of girls with character and work ethic,” Macy said. “They are a quality close knit group. They need to work on becoming more consistent hitting and blocking, and then I think we will do well in the CBC. One of the positive things about them is they are very versatile.”
In the early preseason, Macy has seen some good things from the kids as they work together leading up to the start of the season.
“I have seen some improvement which is good,” Macy said. “We did very well at the Springfield scrimmage, and I think they worked well together. This group has bonded well, and they want to have a great season with not just a good record, but a lot of memories.”
A pair of senior captains look to lead the way for the Warriors, including Haley Houseman and Rachel Martin.
“Haley is a strong hitter and passes well,” Macy said. “She is an intense player and the girls respect her ability. Come coaches over the summer noticed how much better she has gotten.” Houseman will be an outside hitter.
“Rachel will be a setter, and is a quiet leader. She is focused and can set the ball quickly which will work well with our quick offense.”
Other seniors on the roster who expect to be contributors this year include Taylor Schilling, Shelby Lewis, Alexa Wynn and Callie Owens. “They can help us out defensively with their experience and maturity.”
Several juniors also reside on the roster, include Alainey Kleis, Haylee Lough, Maria Rinaldi, Taylor Drews and Brittany Snapp.
The lone sophomore Kyndall Berner is also a quick player according to Macy with strong court awareness.
‘I think we will be competitive in the CBC,” Macy said. “Graham will be tough again this year. I am excited to coach in this conference, and hopefully they will be surprised at how we play and develop this season as a team.”
Northwestern opens the season on Saturday against Catholic Central with the JV game starting at 10.
