No longer a doormat, Parkview Christian is on a roll
At a match a couple of weeks ago, coach Michelle Mertens overheard a fan of the opposition confidently say “it’s only Parkview,’’ words the fan came to regret a couple hours later.
The days of automatically counting Parkview Christian as a win on the volleyball schedule are over. The Patriots appear headed to the best season in school history with a 13-4 record so far, just three from tying the school record for victories in a season. They come into tonight’s triangular against Dorchester (the host) and Exeter-Milligan with 10 wins in their last 11 outings, the only setback coming to Exeter-Milligan at the MUDECAS tournament almost a month ago.
That’s a huge turnaround from the 5-22 mark they posted a year ago or the 36-113 record over the past six seasons for the Class D-2 school located in northwest Lincoln. Even when the Patriots reached the state tournament for their first and only time in 1998, they were 7-21 that season.
“We have a record of losing, that’s what we expected to happen every time we played,’’ says senior setter Amy Strop, a four-year starter. Her older sister, Kim, played on the state tournament team. “But now we’re not satisfied with losing anymore. We’re confident now we can win every time we step on the floor.’’
All the pieces have come together for Mertens, the former Michelle Smith who played on four Big Eight championship volleyball teams at Nebraska between 1982 and ’85.
She has an experienced setter and leader in 5-foot-5 Strop (362 assists this season). There’s a strong 1-2 offensive punch at middle blocker in the sophomore tandem of 6-1 Hannah Welter (179 kills) and 5-10 Sarah Mertens (146 kills), the coach’s daughter.
And when it comes to serve receive, defense and ballhandling, Coach Mertens has several options — 5-5 junior outside hitter Amanda Fuchser, 5-9 sophomore Emily Smith and 5-8 freshman Megan Fuchser, Amanda’s younger sister.
The older Fuchser has 95 kills to go along with a team-high 66 ace serves and 161 digs.
“They’ve exceeded my expectations so far, but I also saw the potential to do what we’re doing,’’ the coach said. “We’ve had teams in the past with talent that just didn’t gell. We’ve harped about the team concept and how we’re better when we play together rather than a group of individuals. This team has bought into that.’’
They’ve also bought into the joys of competition. “I can be more intense with this team,’’ Coach Mertens said. “I can get after Amy, Amanda, Hannah and Sarah pretty hard because I know they’ll respond positively to it.’’
Welter is rapidly transforming into a dominant net player for the Patriots, and that’s transformed her attitude about volleyball as well. “I used to hate volleyball and basketball was my favorite sport,’’ she said. “Now I like them both.’’
As a former college player and a current club coach, Mertens thinks Welter has a huge upside in volleyball.
“I don’t think she knows what she’s capable of,’’ Mertens said of Welter, who won’t be playing tonight because of a death in her family. “The other day she came around and hit this unbelievable slide, and I thought, ‘Now we’re starting to tap into what she has.’”
The reliable defense and passing from the Fuchser sisters, Smith and Sarah Mertens has given Strop options offensively that weren’t there in the past. Strong serving also has been beneficial, as the Patriots have 278 aces (an average of six per set) this season.
“We’re running quicker plays and attacking from positions opponents don’t expect,’’ Coach Mertens said. “We’re preaching aggressive, attacking play, and it starts with the serve. Our goal is to put teams on the defense immediately and control the rallies.’’
The schedule gets more difficult as the Patriots head into the final three weeks of the season. They will face D-1 No. 5 Freeman in a triangular Tuesday. Parkview could face C-2 ratings contender Concordia, a team that beat them earlier in the season, in the Nebraska Frontier Conference tournament Oct. 21-23.
They’re hoping that tough competition prepares them for the postseason.
“At the beginning of the season, getting to state was a crazy dream,’’ Sarah Mertens said. “Now, looking at how many matches we’ve won, it’s a possibility.’’
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
The days of automatically counting Parkview Christian as a win on the volleyball schedule are over. The Patriots appear headed to the best season in school history with a 13-4 record so far, just three from tying the school record for victories in a season. They come into tonight’s triangular against Dorchester (the host) and Exeter-Milligan with 10 wins in their last 11 outings, the only setback coming to Exeter-Milligan at the MUDECAS tournament almost a month ago.
That’s a huge turnaround from the 5-22 mark they posted a year ago or the 36-113 record over the past six seasons for the Class D-2 school located in northwest Lincoln. Even when the Patriots reached the state tournament for their first and only time in 1998, they were 7-21 that season.
“We have a record of losing, that’s what we expected to happen every time we played,’’ says senior setter Amy Strop, a four-year starter. Her older sister, Kim, played on the state tournament team. “But now we’re not satisfied with losing anymore. We’re confident now we can win every time we step on the floor.’’
All the pieces have come together for Mertens, the former Michelle Smith who played on four Big Eight championship volleyball teams at Nebraska between 1982 and ’85.
She has an experienced setter and leader in 5-foot-5 Strop (362 assists this season). There’s a strong 1-2 offensive punch at middle blocker in the sophomore tandem of 6-1 Hannah Welter (179 kills) and 5-10 Sarah Mertens (146 kills), the coach’s daughter.
And when it comes to serve receive, defense and ballhandling, Coach Mertens has several options — 5-5 junior outside hitter Amanda Fuchser, 5-9 sophomore Emily Smith and 5-8 freshman Megan Fuchser, Amanda’s younger sister.
The older Fuchser has 95 kills to go along with a team-high 66 ace serves and 161 digs.
“They’ve exceeded my expectations so far, but I also saw the potential to do what we’re doing,’’ the coach said. “We’ve had teams in the past with talent that just didn’t gell. We’ve harped about the team concept and how we’re better when we play together rather than a group of individuals. This team has bought into that.’’
They’ve also bought into the joys of competition. “I can be more intense with this team,’’ Coach Mertens said. “I can get after Amy, Amanda, Hannah and Sarah pretty hard because I know they’ll respond positively to it.’’
Welter is rapidly transforming into a dominant net player for the Patriots, and that’s transformed her attitude about volleyball as well. “I used to hate volleyball and basketball was my favorite sport,’’ she said. “Now I like them both.’’
As a former college player and a current club coach, Mertens thinks Welter has a huge upside in volleyball.
“I don’t think she knows what she’s capable of,’’ Mertens said of Welter, who won’t be playing tonight because of a death in her family. “The other day she came around and hit this unbelievable slide, and I thought, ‘Now we’re starting to tap into what she has.’”
The reliable defense and passing from the Fuchser sisters, Smith and Sarah Mertens has given Strop options offensively that weren’t there in the past. Strong serving also has been beneficial, as the Patriots have 278 aces (an average of six per set) this season.
“We’re running quicker plays and attacking from positions opponents don’t expect,’’ Coach Mertens said. “We’re preaching aggressive, attacking play, and it starts with the serve. Our goal is to put teams on the defense immediately and control the rallies.’’
The schedule gets more difficult as the Patriots head into the final three weeks of the season. They will face D-1 No. 5 Freeman in a triangular Tuesday. Parkview could face C-2 ratings contender Concordia, a team that beat them earlier in the season, in the Nebraska Frontier Conference tournament Oct. 21-23.
They’re hoping that tough competition prepares them for the postseason.
“At the beginning of the season, getting to state was a crazy dream,’’ Sarah Mertens said. “Now, looking at how many matches we’ve won, it’s a possibility.’’
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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