Indians clobber Ansonia (09/19/06)

FORT RECOVERY - The Indians got another leadoff win for another new coach.

Fort Recovery's volleyball team cruised in its first match with Diana Rammel, the third official head coach of the team this year, crushing the Ansonia Tigers 25-13, 25-12, 25-14.

Ansonia coach Mindy Walters said she knew it would be hard for her team to contend against the Indians, who were 20th in the Division IV voting in this week's Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association poll.

"In the second and third game I think mentally, we started making goofy errors," said Walters, noting Fort Recovery's change of pace attacks. "You think you're going to dig one that's really, really hard, and then they change it up soft ... It's very difficult with a team like that to try to read the hitters."

Rammel is the latest to take the bench coaching the Tribe this season.

Brad Smith, who was hired June 6, was gone after just six matches and officially resigned Sept. 8. FRHS athletics director Barb Sautbine and former coach Maggie Hartings filled in for the Indians' match against Minster Sept. 7 before Kim Pohlman agreed to take the job for the remainder of the season.

Pohlman was aided on the bench by Sautbine in her first match against Franklin Monroe Sept. 11, and by 2002-05 FRHS coach Jackie Briscoe in her second against Versailles Sept. 14. Rammel, who started the year coaching the Fort Recovery eighth grade, and Pohlman have now switched roles.

"(I want to) just keep getting better every game," said Rammel, who was Fort Recovery's head volleyball coach in 1998 and '99 and has coached for the school system for 15 years. "This is the second time I've gotten to see the girls play. It was a little sluggish tonight I thought, but not bad. I see a few things we need to work on."

The Indians (7-3) showed off early against Ansonia, running out to a 16-3 lead in the opening game. Tiff Gaerke and Vicki Roessner each had two kills early in the run, Abby Niekamp notched an ace, and Lauren Wenning, Joanna Snyder and Kinsey Wenning finished it with consecutive kills.

Ansonia finally managed to score consecutive points and got within 18-11, but another set of back-to-back kills by Gaerke let Fort Recovery pull away for the 25-13 opening win.

The Tigers (3-10) were close for a while in the second game, trailing just 9-7 before the Tribe put them away. Gaerke keyed the rally with a run of three straight jump serve aces - one off Casey Knick, another off Brittany Jenkins and a third which landed right on the baseline.

The next was never close as Fort Recovery rolled out to an 18-7 lead on the way to finishing the match in three.

"Coming in I wasn't really worrying about the outcome too much, knowing kind of what it was going to be like. I Just wanted my girls to play well, get in double digits, and we managed to do that.

"I was pleased really with our overall play."

Gaerke led the Indians with 15 kills and three blocks. She also had 10 points, including five aces.

Abby Niekamp had 34 assists and 16 points, both best on the team, and Brittany Brackman and Vicki Roessner each finished with nine points and seven digs.

Kinsey Wenning had kills to cap each of the last two games. She finished with 11 overall, continuing to show more power as a compliment to Gaerke on the attack.

"Wow. That's all I can say about Kinsey Wenning," said Rammel. "She looked good tonight. She played her game."

Lesley Pitsenbarger's four kills were tops for the Tigers. She also had one block.

Amanda Marshall finished with two kills and a block, and Molly Wentworth had seven assists.

Junior varsity

Ansonia stayed close early in both games, but could not keep up as the Indians won 25-17, 25-13.

Kelsey Wuebker led Fort Recovery (3-4) with four kills. She was second on the team in assists (five) and digs (four) while adding six points.

Nicole Pottkotter had a team-best six assists and scored seven points, and Anne Koesters had three kills and two blocks. Rachel Tobe scored nine points, and Heather Schmackers added seven digs.

Freshman

Fort Recovery held off the New Bremen's quest for a third game Monday, topping the visiting Cardinals 25-15, 25-26. The team also scored wins of 14-25, 25-23, 25-23 over Marion Local and 26-24, 25-10 over St. John's Saturday.

Emily May paced the win over New Bremen with 10 points, six digs and four kills.

Lorraine Shier also had six digs for the Indians (8-2).

Josie Guggenbiller finished with 11 assists, Carly Staugler had four points and Lorraine Shier added two kills.

Guggenbiller totaled 16 assists and seven points in the victory over Marion Local Saturday, and May had six kills and five blocks. Guggenbiller added 11 assists and eight points to lead the win over St. John's.[[In-content Ad]]