Defending state champs out to prove themselves all over again

LIMA - If the Lima Central Catholic volleyball team feels like people are watching them - lots of people - they're not paranoid. They're right.

The defending Division III state champion returns an astounding 11 letterwinners from the 27-2 season that ended with 26 straight match wins.

Those curious onlookers might be surprised to find a hungry Thunderbirds team in 2008, with many players feeling like they still have something to prove.

They want to show they're no Cinderella.

"We've been working hard all summer to come back and show that it wasn't a fluke and that we're a good team," senior Mary Fisher said. "We're working hard to carry the team. We're all upperclassmen, so I think it will be a good year."

Senior JoJo Krieg said, "That's one of our main motivations, to show that wasn't a fluke, it wasn't a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

This year's team returns a veteran group for coach Dave Franklin, who enters his fourth season at LCC with 64 wins against just 14 losses. Six of the returning letterwinners are seniors. There will be no problems keeping the players focused.

They have issued team goals, including the words "State Champs" written on the dry-erase board in the locker room, just as it was last year. But there are many other goals to be met, goals that keep the team focused on the task at hand.

Call it keeping the goals bite-sized.

"Our expectation, even last year, is game-in and game-out to perform fundamentals. If we perform our fundamentals, it doesn't matter what the other team does," Franklin said. "Our expectations are to take it one point at a time."

One of the goals is to compete in the Northwest Conference. With Crestview and Columbus Grove joining LCC at the top, and Delphos Jefferson, Ada and Spencerville returning a good deal of talent, winning the conference is great preparation for the postseason.

Some extra motivation in the league is the Oct. 2 match at Grove.

"My first year here, we went to Grove and lost. We shared the conference title with Grove, and that was our only loss," Franklin said. "The girls have already talked about that. We've never won in Grove's gym."

The trademarks of last year's team carry over: the T-Birds are strong in the service game, and even better on defense.

The only player on the roster who is pigeon-holed into a specific role is the libero, Fisher. Other than her, there is great versatility among the players. For instance, outside hitters Krieg and Rachel Illig aren't always substituted out of games when they rotate to the back row.

"A lot of teams have one strong hitter or one strong something or other. But when you have one hitter, it makes it a lot easier to defend," Krieg said. "With our setter, she can go anywhere with any pass. It makes it hard to defend."

The T-Birds have set themselves up for a rare repeat. There's plenty that can happen between now and then, though, and one thing's for sure - it won't be easy.

"How likely is it for any team to repeat? Winning a state championship is hard," Franklin said. "Winning it a second time, harder. The only thing this team has over most teams is we did it with a bunch of juniors, and they get to come back as seniors."