By DAVID COOK
*The Corunna volleyball team is off to a strong start this season, capturing first place in the first four tournaments it entered.
“We have started off playing strong as a whole team,” said coach Kari Carnell. “We are playing well together. The team has come together very nicely so far. We always have things to work on and improve, and we are continuing to do that. I expected them to start off this strong. We only lost 2 seniors last year, one of which was a starter, so we had potential.”
Junior Meredith Norris has been leading the way for the Cavaliers. A pre-season all-American, Norris is closing in on 2,000 kills for her career. Skylar Napier is also turning in a big season, as she recorded her 2,000th career assist the first week of the season.
The Cavaliers are building for a strong run down the stretch. “Hopefully we can go into the state tournament and win another district and play well in regionals,” Carnell said.
*The Laingsburg volleyball team is also off to a strong start this season. It is ranked honorable mention in Division 3.
“I’m feeling pretty good about how things are coming together this season,” said coach Tennille Whitmore. “We have very high expectations for this group, and we are working to raise the bar every day. We are 16-7-1 so far this season. Our seven losses were against very competitive teams that really pushed us to grow. Teams like DeWitt (Honorable Mentiion Class A), Lakewood (#2 Class B) , Anchor Bay twice in a row (Honorable Mention Class A), Linden, and Davison. These competitions helped us grasp what we are capable of and really focused us in on ways to better our game.”
The team is deep and talented this year. Maya Ferland is one of the top all-around players and is among the area stat leaders in every category except assists. Maddy Byrnes, a second-team all-conference player last year, is a top defender who had over 23 digs in matches against St. Johns, DeWitt, and Birch Run. Caitlyn Kane made this year’s America Volleyball Coaches Association All-American Watch List. The 6’1″ senior is a team leader in kills. Lindsey Smith, a returning all-region player, is among the area leaders in assists and is a top server. Erin Cooper is a newcomer to varsity this season who brings strong serves and who is a good hitter from the left side. Silvia Strieff earned honorable-mention all-conference honors last season and is a solid all-around player.