May 26, 2020 at 4:08 p.m.
Champs: Fort girls romp past Wehrle to win state crown
Sports Retrospect
Champs: Fort girls romp past Wehrle to win state crown
By Tom Casey-
Editor’s note: With a void in sports, The Commercial Review will occasionally run past stories from key events in the area’s athletic history. This story, from Nov. 12, 1990, recalls the Fort Recovery High School volleyball team winning the Division IV state championship, the first in program history for the Indians. It was also the first of two titles for the Tribe girls that school year, as the basketball team won state four months later.
••••••••••
DAYTON, Ohio — The way thing are going, Fort Recovery High School’s going to have to get a bigger trophy case.
Fort Recovery’s girls volleyball team added another state title to the school’s growing collection Saturday, wiping out Columbus Wehrle in straight games to claim the first Ohio Division IV girls volleyball championship.
It was the first state volleyball championship ever for Fort Recovery. Ohio expanded its volleyball tournament to four divisions from three this year, and Fort Recovery was there to claim the title.
The victory comes just eight months after Fort Recovery’s girls basketball team won a state title of its own. And in the volleyball tournament’s championship game, the Lady Indian spikers were just as impressive as their classmates on the basketball team were in March.
Fort Recovery burst out to an early lead in the first game, fought off a Wehrle comeback and closed out the opener 15-10.
And in the second game, the Indians were dominant, scoring the first seven points of the game on their way to a 15-6 win.
The title game victory was the 15th match win in a row for Fort Recovery, which closed its season with a 24-4 record. Wehrle’s loss, only its second of the season, dropped the Lady Panthers’ record to 28-2.
After the victory — and after a celebration on the University of Dayton Arena floor — Fort Recovery Coach Paula Schritz said Fort Recovery won the big game by sticking with the attacking type of game it’s played all year.
“I took it as a game,” Schritz said. “And it had to be a kind of game we played all year. The same kind of game every time. I had no tapes, nothing, before I got here Thursday night.”
But don’t think Schritz wasn’t excited. “I’ve been walking around the last few days saying ‘this is neat, this is so neat,’” Schritz said. “My players laugh at it sometimes, but it is neat.”
Schritz made one adjustment in Fort Recovery’s attack that paid off in points against Wehrle, moving middle hitter Lynn Fullenkamp a bit off-center for spikes.
“I noticed their blockers were slower across the net,” Schritz said. “So we tried to move her to the side a little bit so they’d have to move.”
It paid off. In the first game, Fort Recovery led 11-4, then watched Wehrle grab the next six points to pull to within a point at 11-10. Schritz said Fort Recovery’s passing quality fell off during that stretch.
“We couldn’t get the ball up,” Schritz said. “But it wasn’t as bad as it was (in the semifinals) Thursday night. We made some improvements.”
Fort Recovery pulled out of its slump in time, picking up the last five points of the game to win 15-10.
Fort Recovery also blunted of Wehrle’s attack, returning several Wehrle spikes that appeared to be heading for winners.
Fullenkamp led the Fort Recovery attack with seven kills, while senior setter and outside hitter Jenny Etzler had six kills. Mindy Bubp added five kills, Kim Keller had three kills, Kim Keller had three kills, and Kate Schoenherr and Gina Wenning had two kills apiece. Wenning had 14 assists as a setter, Sandy Homan led the team with seven digs, and Jean Keller topped the team with three service aces.
Schritz said Fort Recovery’s young team, which had only two seniors, stood up well to state tournament pressure. “I’m not even sure they know what it is,” Schritz said. Schritz added that it helped that her two seniors — Etzler and Schoenherr — were on Fort Recovery’s state basketball championship team.
“They’ve been there,” Schritz said. “They’ve been in a big gym and I think their confidence spread to my younger players.”
With so much talent returning for next year, some coaches might tend to be overconfident. Not Schritz.
“I’d like my younger players to improve,” she said.
••••••••••
DAYTON, Ohio — The way thing are going, Fort Recovery High School’s going to have to get a bigger trophy case.
Fort Recovery’s girls volleyball team added another state title to the school’s growing collection Saturday, wiping out Columbus Wehrle in straight games to claim the first Ohio Division IV girls volleyball championship.
It was the first state volleyball championship ever for Fort Recovery. Ohio expanded its volleyball tournament to four divisions from three this year, and Fort Recovery was there to claim the title.
The victory comes just eight months after Fort Recovery’s girls basketball team won a state title of its own. And in the volleyball tournament’s championship game, the Lady Indian spikers were just as impressive as their classmates on the basketball team were in March.
Fort Recovery burst out to an early lead in the first game, fought off a Wehrle comeback and closed out the opener 15-10.
And in the second game, the Indians were dominant, scoring the first seven points of the game on their way to a 15-6 win.
The title game victory was the 15th match win in a row for Fort Recovery, which closed its season with a 24-4 record. Wehrle’s loss, only its second of the season, dropped the Lady Panthers’ record to 28-2.
After the victory — and after a celebration on the University of Dayton Arena floor — Fort Recovery Coach Paula Schritz said Fort Recovery won the big game by sticking with the attacking type of game it’s played all year.
“I took it as a game,” Schritz said. “And it had to be a kind of game we played all year. The same kind of game every time. I had no tapes, nothing, before I got here Thursday night.”
But don’t think Schritz wasn’t excited. “I’ve been walking around the last few days saying ‘this is neat, this is so neat,’” Schritz said. “My players laugh at it sometimes, but it is neat.”
Schritz made one adjustment in Fort Recovery’s attack that paid off in points against Wehrle, moving middle hitter Lynn Fullenkamp a bit off-center for spikes.
“I noticed their blockers were slower across the net,” Schritz said. “So we tried to move her to the side a little bit so they’d have to move.”
It paid off. In the first game, Fort Recovery led 11-4, then watched Wehrle grab the next six points to pull to within a point at 11-10. Schritz said Fort Recovery’s passing quality fell off during that stretch.
“We couldn’t get the ball up,” Schritz said. “But it wasn’t as bad as it was (in the semifinals) Thursday night. We made some improvements.”
Fort Recovery pulled out of its slump in time, picking up the last five points of the game to win 15-10.
Fort Recovery also blunted of Wehrle’s attack, returning several Wehrle spikes that appeared to be heading for winners.
Fullenkamp led the Fort Recovery attack with seven kills, while senior setter and outside hitter Jenny Etzler had six kills. Mindy Bubp added five kills, Kim Keller had three kills, Kim Keller had three kills, and Kate Schoenherr and Gina Wenning had two kills apiece. Wenning had 14 assists as a setter, Sandy Homan led the team with seven digs, and Jean Keller topped the team with three service aces.
Schritz said Fort Recovery’s young team, which had only two seniors, stood up well to state tournament pressure. “I’m not even sure they know what it is,” Schritz said. Schritz added that it helped that her two seniors — Etzler and Schoenherr — were on Fort Recovery’s state basketball championship team.
“They’ve been there,” Schritz said. “They’ve been in a big gym and I think their confidence spread to my younger players.”
With so much talent returning for next year, some coaches might tend to be overconfident. Not Schritz.
“I’d like my younger players to improve,” she said.
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