Waynedale volleyball rebuilds into contender under veteran coach

A year ago Waynedale’s volleyball program was going through some tough times as it finished 13-11 overall and just 6-8 in the Wayne County Athletic League.

At the end of the season, the Golden Bears were searching for a coach and found a legend in John Finn available. The former bench boss of elite area programs Central Christian and Triway agreed to return to the bench, this time leading the Golden Bears.

“I didn’t know what I was coming into, but I did know that there was a lot of talent here,” Finn said. “So I just did what I always do, team first and lift up the individual. It’s person first and player second, and that’s the way I approached it.”

That, buoyed by a stellar senior group of Kimmy Swartzentruber, Jorjia Persinger, Kylie Geiser and Callie Wolfe, proved to be the perfect recipe. They bounced back in a big way, finishing the season at 17-9 and 8-6 in the WCAL. More impressively, after a one-and-done a year ago, they rallied back to clinch the program’s fourth district title and made their fourth regional appearance before falling to Dalton 20-25, 25-16, 25-15, 25-21 on Oct. 30.

“It’s a group of young ladies who understood and embraced the importance of being a team and the unselfish play that it takes to be that team,” Finn said, “even when it may go against what they want as individuals.

“They committed to the larger goal, which was our win-loss record and what we accomplished. They have always been committed to that, and I admire them. I love them, and I think they are tremendous young ladies who happen to be very talented.”

As for his part in the success, Finn deferred to the girls on the team and his senior leaders.

“I don’t take the credit for anything,” he said. “I give it all to the girls and to the God I serve. I don’t have any false notion of, ‘Here he comes. He can turn everything around.’ That’s a false narrative. I consider myself blessed every day to come here and work with them and try to identify what we can do to help them achieve their maximum potential.”

His senior group was instrumental, led by Wolfe, who became just the fourth-ever area volleyball player to finish with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs since rally scoring began in 2004. She finished the season with 351 kills. Persinger hammered out 105, and Swartzentruber finished with 75.

Wolfe paced the team with 50 aces and accounted for 181 points, Geiser finished with 152 points and had 15 aces, and Persinger totaled 112 service points and had 22 aces.

Defensively, Geiser led the way with 545 digs, Wolfe had 381, Persinger 151 and Swartzentruber 59. At the net Swartzentruber and Persinger were like stone walls as Swartzentruber totaled 80 blocks and Persinger finished with 65.

“Our seniors were our captains along with Bella Parry, and they deserve a lot of the credit for this year,” Finn said. “I walked into a nice situation with great people. Tomorrow is promised to no one, and to have the privilege of working with young people like this is off the charts.”

Parry finished with a team-high 359 kills, 79 blocks, 245 digs, 165 service points and 27 aces.

“Our incoming freshmen and getting people back from injuries has really helped us,” Wolfe said. “It kind of brought the team together a lot more. We learned through some tough sets this year, and we wanted to win the county, but after a few losses, our goal was to win districts. If you can’t win the county, you need to win something. That was our belief. And then winning that, it was a great feeling.”

As for what it’s meant to play with this group of seniors, Wolfe didn’t hold back.

“I love it so much,” she said. “It’s been so much fun, seeing each other. We laugh together. We just have fun with the game of volleyball, and it’s a game that we all love. It’s just amazing, especially since we’ve been together for six years. The time shared with my teammates, I loved it.”

1,000 Club times two

On Wednesday, Oct. 22 in a Division VI district title battle with Hillsdale that the Golden Bears won, Wolfe joined an especially elite club. With 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs, she became just the fourth player in area history to achieve such a feat, joining Triway alum Sara Skeens, Orrville alum Erin Short and Northwestern alum Kristen Warner.

“It really meant a lot to be one of those four people,” Wolfe said. “It’s been my goal ever since I kind of knew that I could do it, but I wasn’t sure. That’s when I decided that’s going to be my goal. To be the first in Waynedale history, that’s special. But when it happened, it was relieving. It’s relieving that it’s over — no stress anymore. I got my goal.”