Alter volleyball team has unfinished business

State runner-up reloads to mount another title run.

Senior Kellie Joseph (from left), junior Kelly Westerkamp, and sophomore Megan Courtney hope to lead the Alter girls volleyball team to a successful season.

Staff photo by Ron Alvey Senior Kellie Joseph (from left), junior Kelly Westerkamp, and sophomore Megan Courtney hope to lead the Alter girls volleyball team to a successful season.

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By Debbie Juniewicz, Contributing Writer Updated 2:01 AM Tuesday, August 18, 2009

KETTERING — After losing five key players to graduation, some high school volleyball teams would be rebuilding — not the Alter Knights.

For the Division II state runner-up Knights, it’s time to reload.

“All of the kids we graduated played, they weren’t sitting the bench,” Alter coach Tina Jasinowski said. “We lost an All-State outside hitter and our libero and, on paper, those are significant losses.

“Having said that, I think we’re going to be even better than we were last year.”

Considering the Knights qualified to the D-II state final last season, that says a lot.

“Without question, state is at the forefront of our mind,” Jasinowski said. “And we want to win state. We don’t just want to go back to state, especially because we know it was within our grasp last year.”

The Knights fell 3-1 to Padua in the state final and lost key players to graduation. But they return a talented core including senior outside hitter Kellie Joseph, junior middle hitter Kelly Westerkamp and sophomore setter/outside hitter Megan Courtney who ran the offense last season as a freshman.

“Megan is one of the best hitters in the country, not just the state, and we would be the stupidest coaches in Ohio if we didn’t have her hit the ball,” Jasinowski said. “Kellie (Joseph) will be a key offensive weapon for us and Kelly (Westerkamp) is going to be a kid who doesn’t come off the floor.”

Westerkamp is looking forward to the challenge.

“We lost a lot of experience and leadership and we have holes to fill but I know we’ll be able to do that,” Westerkamp said. “One of my main goals is to step up, be more vocal and take on more of a leadership role.”

For the Knights, who will face tough competition from Fairmont, Tippecanoe, Centerville and Chaminade Julienne within the first two weeks of the season, it’s not simply about wins or records.

“We’re trying to be the team that works the hardest this year,” Westerkamp said. “The wins will come if we do that.”

MAC attack

Marion Local’s D-IV state title in 2008 marked the 11th state crown for the Midwest Athletic Conference in the tournament’s 34 years.

The Flyers, who topped Jackson Center to claim back-to-back state titles last season, return 10 letter winners including All-Ohio outside hitter Alyssa Winner. Local lost only a setter and libero to graduation.

“We had a really young team last year,” Marion Local coach Amy Steininger said. “We’re still young, we only have four seniors, but we have experience.”

The Flyers aren’t about to talk about a three-peat.

“Our sectional is so loaded, it’s tough to even make it out,” Steininger said. “Right now we’re truly focused on winning the MAC, which is no easy task.”

MAC rival Versailles also qualified to state last season, falling in the D-III semifinals. St. Henry has six state volleyball titles, most recently in 2004. Parkway, like Marion Local, has a pair of titles and Fort Recovery has another.

“The MAC really humbles you,” Steininger said. “It keeps us focused and grounded.”

Contact this writer at djunie@aol.com.

5 Matches to Watch

Aug. 31: Tippecanoe at Alter — The Knights ended the Red Devils’ undefeated season in the D-II regional last year.

Sept. 19: Chaminade Julienne tri-match — The Eagles host Fairmont and Lehman Catholic in this annual competitive event.

Sept. 26: Marion Local at Jackson Center — The Tigers host a rematch of the D-IV state title match.

Oct. 1: Versailles at St. Henry — The Redskins have home court for the MAC Conference showdown between two regional finalists.

Oct. 6-15: GWOC Tournament (at Fairmont’s Trent Arena).

6 Players to Watch

Amanda Calhoun, junior, Tippecanoe: The 5-11 outside hitter was All-Ohio for the once-beaten Red Devils last season.

Megan Campbell, senior, Versailles: The 6-1 All-State middle hitter helped the Tigers make their third trip to state.

Megan Courtney, sophomore, Alter: The versatile setter/outside hitter ran the offense for the D-II state runner-up Knights.

Casey Gates, senior, Jackson Center: The All-Ohio outside hitter tallied 22 kills and 26 digs in the D-IV state final.

Jessica Thobe, junior, Lehman Catholic: The 5-foot 8-inch outside hitter was first-team All-Ohio with the D-IV regional semifinalist Cavaliers.

Alyssa Winner, junior, Marion Local: The All-Ohio first team outside hitter posted more than 400 kills and 400 digs for the state champion Flyers.

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