Crestview senior Grace Auer (left) and junior Abbey Emch were named first team All-Ohioans in Div. III by the Ohio High School Volleyball Association. (Photo by Ron Firth)
The Crestview volleyball team was a dominant force in Columbiana County and beyond this season. The Rebels went ran off 26 straight wins before being ousted by the top-ranked team in the state in Mentor Lake Catholic in the Div. III regional final.
Two key members of the team senior outside hitter Grace Auer and junior middle blocker Abbey Emch were recently recognized as Div. III First Team All-Ohioans by the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association.
Grace Auer capped her senior season with 370 kills and averaged 4.5 kills per set with a 58.4 kill percentage. She had 324 points and 87 aces. She led the team in assists with 473. Defensively she had 20 blocks and 281 digs.
“Grace is one of the hardest working kids I have coached,” said her mother and Crestview head coach Alisha Auer said. “She gives her all every time she steps on the court. Her volleyball IQ and ability is top notch. She has been a driving force in our success over the past four years and has been a big part of 100 wins in her four years as a starter. Grace has made a huge impact on our programs and I can’t wait to see what her future holds.”
Grace finished her career with 1,261 kills, 1,216 points, 347 aces, 1,749 assists, 1,189 digs and 93 blocks.
Emch, a 6-foot, 3-inch University of Pittsburgh recruit, was an effective attacking weapon for the Rebels as she recorded 367 kills (4.4 average per set) and 81 total blocks. On the serving end she had 210 points and 46 aces. She also recorded 231 digs.
For her career so far she has 1,052 kills and 276 blocks.
“Abbey is a lot of fun to coach,” Alisha Auer said. “She is constantly looking for ways to improve and is always working hard. She dominates the net and has developed into a very strong six rotation player. I am very excited to have Abbey in our program for one more year.”
Alaina Auer, a sophomore outside hitter, was named an All-Ohio honorable mention as well for the Rebels.
She had 187 kills (2.3 per set), 187 points, 57 aces, 16 blocks, 216 digs and 431 assists.
“I am thrilled with the level Lainy is playing at,” Alisha Auer said. “She has always been a consistent solid player but really emerged as a force both offensively and defensively this year. She has a very bright future. I’m looking forward to having her on the court for the next two seasons. “
East Liverpool enjoyed a 19-4 season and a trip to a Div. II district final. The Potters had two senior best friends who led the way in the successful season.
Senior outside hitter Kyia White returned to the Div. II All-Ohio as a second team selection. White was a third team pick as a junior.
White had 290 kills, 310 digs and 29 aces on the season. For her career, she had 1,044 kills, 841 digs and 92 aces.
“I’m very happy for her because she had a nice season,” McKinstry said. “She may have not had as many kills as last season but we played two fewer matches and she had a lot of support from Ava Green and Kenzie Headley. She’s an all-around good defender and serve receiver. She’s also good at making adjustments and is a leader on the court.”
Potter senior Faith Grafton was a Div. II All-Ohio honorable mention for the Potters.
She stepped up big in the serving department with 86 aces. She added 405 digs and 48 assists. Her serving percentage was 97% and her serve reception percentage was 92%. She had 1,292 career digs.
“She’s competitive but quiet,” McKinstry said. “But she stepped up in big matches when we needed her to.”
Wellsville’s team finished the season 18-7 and was a Div. IV district runner-up. Junior outside hitter Presley Stokes earned her third All-Ohio nod as a third team selection in 2023. In 2022 she was a second team pick after being a third-team selection her freshman year.
Stokes, a Youngstown State recruit, had 513 kills (5.8 per set) and 56 aces. On defense she had 40 blocks and 408 digs. She was second on the team with 102 assists.
“Presley was a captain and the leader of our team,” Wellsville coach Serry Allen said. “She was who we looked to when we were in a tough match and needed to score. She started the season off as one of our setters then switched half way through because we needed her defense in the back row. I am able to switch Presley to multiple positions based on the team we were playing. It’s always great to have a player that can and is willing play any position to help the team.”
For her career, Stokes has 1,446 kills, 252 aces, 165 blocks, 960 digs and 493 assists.
Junior Bella Poppelriter, who played multiple roles for the Tigers, was an All-Ohio honorable mention.
She had 187 kills (2.1 per set), 94 aces, 80 blocks, 540 digs and 48 assists.
“Bella was a captain on our team,” Allen said. “She’s super competitive and doesn’t let much hit the floor. She works hard and plays hard. There are not too many players out there that can out work Bella. She stays in the gym training and getting better everyday. She’s gonna be a nightmare for teams next season.”
In leading her team to its first league championship since 1987, Columbiana junior setter and outside hitter Ellie Jackson made a big impact on her team and for that was named an honorable mention in Div. III.
As a setter in a 6-2 offense, she had 302 assists, 285 digs, 204 kills and 52 aces for the 2023 season. Her serving percentage was 97.4% and her hitting percentage 0.153 with a 28.8% kill percentage. For her career, Ellie has totaled 770 career assists, 726 career digs, 146 career aces and 359 career kills.
“Ellie is an outstanding athlete, teammate and leader,” coach Jennifer Martin said. “She was voted captain for her sophomore and junior years. She is a leader on and off the court. She leads vocally and also by example. Ellie is mentally tough, handling adversity with grace and determination. She is often the player that keeps her teammates focused and picks them up when mistakes are made. If Ellie makes a mistake, she is able to move on to the next play and make something positive out of it.”
Southern Local senior setter Rylee Mellott broke all of the school records associated with her position and was named to the Div. IV All-Ohio honorable mention list.
“She’s been a leader on the floor for us and has broke all kinds of records,” Southern coach Bob Shansky said. “She understood where to place to ball and progressed every year I had her. She’s one of the better setters I’ve had and I’ve had a lot of them.”
This season she set a school record with 758 assists. She also owns the school career mark of 2,417. She also had 520 career digs, 122 career blocks, 914 career service points, and 305 career aces.
