Eastern Hancock’s Kaitlyn Lowes passes the ball in a match against Greenfield-Central last season.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
CHARLOTTESVILLE — Bouncing back from a slow start, Eastern Hancock’s volleyball team had a winning record in 2022.
A 10-game winning streak in the latter portion of the season helped the Royals earn a fourth-place finish in the 10-team Mid-Eastern Conference.
Overall, the Royals went 17-14. Their league mark was 6-3, not a bad finish after getting off to a 3-8 start.
They won three straight, all in the MEC, after a tough four-set lost to Class 4A neighbors Greenfield-Central. After a conference loss to eventual league and Class 2A state champion Wapahani, the Royals ran off 10 straight.
“That was kind of a momentum starter for us, where we finished off last year,” head coach Cory Rainbolt said. “We lost three playing seniors, Alivia Coffin was one and she tore her ACL, so didn’t play much. In all actuality, we’re losing a really good setter, Sydney Hayes, and Ella Shaw, a right side hitter.
“The cool thing is, we’ve got a ton of experience coming back. I really had a lot of girls enjoy where we finished last season and decided to play club during the winter. That experience alone has been amazing. You can tell they’ve been hitting the gym frequently. Their skills have been fine-tuned and I’m super-excited for the season.”
Even with experienced returning players the Royals have just three seniors, Brooklyn Willis, who will be a six-rotation player, setter/outside hitter Carlyn Blue and setter Sarah Clark.
Willis was one of last year’s leaders in digs, recording 238, second only to Hayes, who had 242.
“We’ve got big hopes for this team and we should be able to accomplish a lot this season,” Willis said. “That’s what I’m most excited about. We have always said we’ve had a younger team, but we’ve gotten older with a lot of juniors, us three seniors and maybe one or two sophomores. We’re all really experienced and that’s what helps. We’ve been on the court and we know each other.”
Hayes will be missed. She was one of two all-MEC players. The other is back, junior middle hitter Ellie Meyer.
Meyer was an All-Hancock County selection, too, and led the Royals with 55 blocks and was second in kills at 1.7 per set (159 for the season). The top returning hitter, Kaitlyn Lowes, another junior, is also returning. She averaged 2 kills per set and had a team-best 182 on the year.
“We have a lot of potential and talent on the team this year,” Meyer added.
The Royals will still rely on a newer contributor. With Hayes graduating, junior Briar VanCamp is expected to be the primary setter, a new position for her. She’s been a defensive specialist previously.
Alana Eastridge, a sophomore, and Hayden Collins (139 digs), another sophomore, are two others that have experience in the back row. As a freshman, Eastridge was third on the team in digs with 221, but led the team in digs per set with 3.2. Willis and Eastridge tied for second on team in service aces with 33 each.
Cami Knight returns as another middle hitter. She had 95 kills last season and was second to Meyer in blocks with 29.
“We’ve got some lofty goals,” Rainbolt said. “We’ve been fourth the last couple of years in the MEC … I think with a little bit of focus and determination I think we could be No. 1 in the MEC. We’ve not had a good run in the sectional, but with this group, I’ve told them, we’re shooting for the stars.”
The Royals open the season Saturday, Aug. 12 at the Morristown Classic. The first five competitions, including two tournaments are all on the road. The first home match is Aug. 22 against Centerville.
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2023 Eastern Hancock volleyball schedule
Date;Opponent;Time
Aug. 12;at Morristown Classic;9 a.m.
Aug. 14;at North Decatur;5:30 p.m.
Aug. 17;at Cambridge City Lincoln;6 p.m.
Aug. 19;at Shenandoah Invite;9 a.m.
Aug. 21;at Wes-Del;6 p.m.
Aug. 22;vs. Centerville;6 p.m.
Aug. 24;vs. Greenfield-Central;6 p.m.
Aug. 29;at Shenandoah;6 p.m.
Aug. 31;vs. Blue River Valley;6 p.m.
Sept. 5;vs. Union;6 p.m.
Sept. 6;at Wapahani;6 p.m.
Sept. 11;vs. Randolph Southern;6 p.m.
Sept. 14;vs. Southwestern;6 p.m.
Sept. 18;at Cowan;6 p.m.
Sept. 20;vs. Tri;6 p.m.
Sept. 21;at Monroe Central;6 p.m.
Sept. 23;Eastern Hancock Invitational;9 a.m.
Sept. 26;vs. Daleville;6 p.m.
Oct. 2;at Triton Central;6 p.m.
Oct. 3;at Knightstown;6 p.m.
Oct. 5;at Lapel;6 p.m.
