Shawnee, left, and Spencerville compete in a volleyball game held outdoors last Saturday at Shawnee Stadium.
Jessica Trinko | The Lima News
SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — It was hard to tell sometimes whether Saturday night was a teen dance party or a high school volleyball match.
In other words, Shawnee’s three-set win against Spencerville went exactly the way the Indians hoped. The “Sets and Spikes at Sundown” at Shawnee Stadium was believed to be the first-ever regular-season volleyball match played outside in Ohio.
“We learned that it’s super important to always have fun,” said Shawnee’s Maggie Jordan, a senior libero. “A lot of times, if you take it too seriously, there will be times where you just shut down and are mentally like, ‘I don’t want to be here.’ But when you have fun and you’re cheering on your team, it really helps you stay engaged in the game. It helps you play better.”
The Indians beat the Bearcats in straight sets, 25-8, 25-15, 25-8. Some may remember the night for the Ohio Northern University-bound Jordan successfully serving the final 15 points of the third set, including three straight aces at one point. Many more will likely remember it for watching the players dance during timeouts to the tunes of DJ Frenzy and both teams’ head coaches joining in dancing the “Stanky Leg.”
“I can be probably kind of silly,” Shawnee coach Brooke Hutchins said, “So we just try to kind of share that infectious spirit. Obviously this environment is a little atypical with bringing the indoor outdoor, so we just kind of partied on the field.”
Shawnee brought in a sports court from Newark, setting it up between the 40-yard lines on the football field. The Shawnee players’ fathers assembled the red-and-blue colored court Saturday afternoon, one 16-inch square section at a time. A crowd estimated at 500 people watched from the home-side football stands and in folding chairs along the sideline to give it the feel of a high-energy club volleyball event.
Hutchins said she hopes to make the event an annual event, perhaps bringing in a few more teams next year. It was inspired by a highly attended outdoor volleyball match at Nebraska and a summer league event at Newark Catholic, which provided the floor.
The humidity made the court slippery at times, causing brief breaks while players and officials wiped down sections of the floor.
As for the on-court product, Shawnee asserted its dominance throughout as the sun set at Shawnee Stadium.
Shawnee junior Karleigh Hutchins and seniors Lea Rudasil and Jordan each had four aces while serving. Gianna Upshaw, a 5-10 freshman, added a team-high five kills, while Upshaw and senior Mackenzie Brickner each had two blocks.
Spencerville looked to sophomore Briley Cook for four kills and three blocks, while senior Kelsey Lee added three kills and two blocks.
Top performers
Several area volleyball players recorded at least 15 kills, 20 digs, or 25 assists in recent games:
• Kendall Frank of Hardin Northern had 25 assists in a 2-1 win over Ada.
• Peyton Diller of Pandora-Gilboa had 26 assists in a 3-0 win over Bath.
• Erica Thorbahn of Ottoville had 32 assists in a 3-0 win over Van Wert. Thorbahn also had 46 assists in a 3-0 win over Delphos Jefferson.
• In Delophos St. John’s 3-1 win over LCC, Laila Sites had 20 kills, Madilyn Conley added 15 kills and Grace Moenter recorded 40 assists.
• In Bluffton’s 3-0 win over Arlington, Kendall Stackhouse had 15 kills and Gracie Yarnell had 34 assists.
• In Leipsic’s 3-0 win over Patrick Henry, Danaysia Danzy had 23 kills and Karmyn Brough recorded 39 assists. Brough also had 39 assists in a 3-0 win over Van Buren and Danzy added 15 kills. In the Vikings’ 3-0 win over Continental, Danzy had 15 kills and Brough added 19 assists.
• Payton Michel of Miller City had 27 assists in a 3-0 win over Delphos Jefferson. Michel also had 30 assists in a 3-0 win over Paulding.
• In Pandora-Gilboa’s 3-0 win over McComb, Corrin Luginbill had 20 kills and Peyton Diller added 41 assists and 20 digs.
• In Lima Senior’s 3-1 win over McComb, Mallory Gipson recorded 32 assists and Ali Vanmeter added 30 digs.
• In Crestview’s 3-0 win over Wayne Trace, Adelyn Figley had 19 kills and Emily Lichtle added 35 assists.
• Allie Miller of Lincolnview had 20 digs in a 3-1 win over Kalida.
• In Shawnee’s 3-1 win over Celina, Karleigh Hutchins had 19 kills and Maggie Jordan added 25 digs.
• In Wapakoneta’s 3-2 win over St. Marys, Kortney Fullenkamp had 18 kills, Alaina Custer recorded 36 assists and Riley Szelagowski added 23 digs.
VOLLEYBALL RESULTS AND SCHEDULE
Friday, Aug. 30
Kalida 3, Ottoville 2
Saturday, Aug. 31
Defiance 3, Ayersville 2
Marion Local 3, Ottawa-Glandorf 2
Shawnee 3, Spencerville 0
Pandora-Gilboa 3, Allen East 0
Waynesfield-Goshen 3, Upper Scioto Valley 0
Tri-match at Ada
Arlington 2, Ada 0
Hardin Northern 2, Ada 1
Arlington 2, Hardin Northern 0
Tuesday, Sept. 3
Pandora-Gilboa 3, Bath 0
Defiance 3, Archbold 0
Clay 3, Ottawa-Glandorf 0
New Bremen 3, St. Marys 0
Ottoville 3, Van Wert 0
Coldwater 3, Wapakoneta 0
Delphos St. John’s 3, LCC 1
Allen East 3, Perry 0
Bluffton 3, Arlington 1
Leipsic 3, Patrick Henry 0
Waynesfield-Goshen 3, Calvary Christian 0
Columbus Grove 3, Continental 0
Wednesday, Sept. 4
Miller City 3, Delphos Jefferson 0
Liberty-Benton 3, Ada 0
Leipsic 3, Van Buren 0
Pandora-Gilboa 3, McComb 0
Lima Senior 3, Start 0
Thursday, Sept. 5
Lima Senior 3, McComb 1
Van Buren 3, Allen East 0
Bluffton 3, Elmwood 0
Crestview 3, Wayne Trace 0
Ottoville 3, Delphos Jefferson 0
Lincolnview 3, Kalida 1
Miller City 3, Paulding 0
Kenton 3, Bath 0
Shawnee 3, Celina 1
Defiance 3, Van Wert 0
Ottawa-Glandorf 3, Elida 0
Wapakoneta 3, St. Marys 2
Coldwater 3, Delphos St. John’s 0
Temple Christian 3, Perry 0
Leipsic 3, Continental 0
Today
Minster at Celina, 11 a.m.
Coldwater at Defiance, 11 a.m.
Shawnee at Ottoville, 12 p.m.
Spencerville at Arlington, 11 a.m.
Temple Christian at Continental, 11 a.m.
Ada at Cory-Rawson, 11 a.m.
Triad at Waynesfield-Goshen, 11 a.m.
Quad match at Lima Senior
Wapakoneta vs Lima Senior, 10 a.m.
Elida vs LCC, 10 a.m.
Elida vs Lima Senior, 11 a.m.
LCC vs Lima Senior, 11 a.m.
Monday, Sept. 9
Celina at Fort Recovery, 6:30 p.m.
Defiance at Paulding, 6:30 p.m.
Lincolnview at Elida, 6:30 p.m.
Upper Scioto Valley at Kenton, 6:30 p.m.
Eastwood at Ottawa-Glandorf, 6:30 p.m.
Minster at St. Marys, 6:30 p.m.
Van Wert at Coldwater, 6:30 p.m.
Parkway at Crestview, 6:30 p.m.
Antwerp at Delphos Jefferson, 6:30 p.m.
Continental at Arlington, 6:30 p.m.
Ottoville at Temple Christian, 6:30 p.m.
Ada at Vanlue, 6:30 p.m.
Elmwood at Pandora-Gilboa, 6:30 p.m.
Leipsic at Riverdale, 6:30 p.m.
Bluffton at Wayne Trace, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 10
Shawnee at Lima Senior, 7 p.m.
LCC at Bath, 6:30 p.m.
Celina at New Bremen, 6:30 p.m.
Defiance at Findlay, 6 p.m.
Van Wert at Delphos St. John’s, 6:30 p.m.
Wapakoneta at Parkway, 6:30 p.m.
Allen East at Bluffton, 6:30 p.m.
Delphos Jefferson at Columbus Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Crestview at Lincolnview, 6:30 p.m.
Continental at Kalida, 6:30 p.m.
Holgate at Miller City, 6:30 p.m.
Upper Scioto Valley at Perry, 6:30 p.m.
Ridgedale at Temple Christian, 6:30 p.m.
Waynesfield-Goshen at Hardin Northern, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 11
Rogers at Lima Senior, 7 p.m.
Miller City at Columbus Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Ada at McComb, 6:30 p.m.
Arcadia at Leipsic, 6:30 p.m.
Pandora-Gilboa at Arlington, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 12
Elida at Bath, 6:30 p.m.
Kenton at Celina, 6:30 p.m.
Shawnee at Defiance, 6:30 p.m.
St. Marys at Ottawa-Glandorf, 6:30 p.m.
Wapakoneta at Van Wert, 6:30 p.m.
Delphos St. John’s at New Knoxville, 6:30 p.m.
Columbus Grove at Allen East, 6:30 p.m.
LCC at Crestview, 6:30 p.m.
Spencerville at Delphos Jefferson, 6:30 p.m.
Pandora-Gilboa at Continental, 6:30 p.m.
Ayersville at Kalida, 6:30 p.m.
Ottoville at Wayne Trace, 6:30 p.m.
Hardin Northern at Perry, 6:30 p.m.
Temple Christian at Ridgemont, 6:30 p.m.
Upper Scioto Valley at Ridgedale, 6:30 p.m.
North Baltimore at Waynesfield-Goshen, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14
Wauseon at Defiance, 11 a.m.
Ottawa-Glandorf at Versailles, 11 a.m.
Lincolnview at Shawnee, 12 p.m.
Crestview at Kalida, 11 a.m.
LCC at Jackson Center, 10 a.m.
Waynesfield-Goshen at Spencerville, 11 a.m.
Continental at Hilltop, 11 a.m.
Cory-Rawson at Pandora-Gilboa, 10 a.m.
Tri-match at Wayne Trace
Miller City vs Wayne Trace, 10 a.m.
Miller City vs Toledo Christian, 10 a.m.
Toledo Christian vs Wayne Trace, 10 a.m.
Tri-match at Ottawa-Hills
Bluffton vs Tinora, 11:15 a.m.
Bluffton vs Ottawa-Hills, 12:30 p.m.
Tri-match at Bath
Allen East vs Bath, 10 a.m.
Allen East vs Northwood, 11 a.m.
Northwood at Bath, 12 p.m.
