Moeller serves Marion Local well

Volleyball standout big reason for unbeaten streak.

Shelby Moeller

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By Debbie Juniewicz, Contributing Writer Updated 12:07 AM Sunday, October 11, 2009

MARIA STEIN — Small in stature, Shelby Moeller has made a big impact on the top-ranked Marion Local High School volleyball team.

The 20-0 defending state champion Flyers are ranked first in the state among Division IV schools and have dropped only a single set all season. They moved up the rankings this week from 79th to 75th in the PrepVolleyball.com Century Club National Top 100.

The petite senior setter is a huge factor in the Flyers’ winning ways.

At not quite 5 feet tall, Moeller is eye level with the bottom of the net and the Flyers’ big hitters tower above her, some by more than a foot. But Moeller has never let her size diminish her ambition.

“Marion is known for having tall girls, so it is ironic that one of the best players in our school history is 5-foot in Shelby,” coach Amy Steininger said. “I really look to her to be a second coach on the floor. She’s a true leader out there.”

Moeller was chosen unanimously as one of the Flyers team captains this season, her second year for the honor. The three-year starter and four-year varsity player also broke the school record for career assists, which now stands at 1,396.

Moeller’s leadership will be critical as the Flyers prepare for a Midwest Athletic Conference showdown with Versailles on Tuesday for the MAC title. The Tigers have an identical 7-0 conference record.

“We’ve had a pretty tough schedule and these girls rose to the occasion every time,” Steininger said. “And Shelby has been a big part of that.”

In Shelby’s words

“Growing was never my forte. I’ve always known that coaches might look at my height as a flaw so I have worked really hard to overcome that. And once I was given a chance to prove myself, I wasn’t about to let it go.

“My family has height. My cousin Margo is 6-foot-2, a middle hitter, who played at Marion and at UD. My cousin Maria is 5-foot-7. She was a setter at Marion and now plays basketball at Ohio State. And me, I’m right above the bottom of the net.

“As a freshman, I was a little more timid, but once I was given the starting position as a sophomore I made the most of that opportunity. I have grown a lot as a player by using what my coaches have taught me. I have a bigger game than it might seem.

“I’m not one to do anything fancy, in fact my coaches get on me sometimes for not taking a shot when I have one. But I’d rather set up the hitter and help them do their job.

“I try to be a leader in my actions and vocally. I’m not too shy so I try to pick everyone up and keep them in the game.

“Of course, we want to get back to state. But, as a team, we’re not looking that far ahead. We really try to focus on the next match, whoever that is, and not get ahead of ourselves but we’re really excited about how the season is going.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know I had broken the school record until way after. But I would like to keep my name in the record books for a little while.”

Contact this writer at djunie@aol.com.