Scott Keyes
Sports Scene
A year ago, the Sacred Heart Academy volleyball team won its first district championship in over 20 years. It then went on to win its first ever regional title and nearly earned a trip to Battle Creek and the Division 4 state semi-finals before losing to Central Lake in five sets in the quarterfinals.
That was last season.
Gone is standout Hayley Kirby, who went on to play college volleyball, but coach Mike Kruscke has a returning team this season that is primed for another strong tournament run.
Early on it has shown, as the Irish were 17-3 prior to press time.
On September 17, Sacred Heart won the eight-team Swan Valley Invitational, defeating teams like Heritage, Garber, and Freeland along the way.
“Every season is a work in progress,” Kruscke said. “But this team seems to thrive on challenges, and because of that, they have set some very high goals for themselves as well as for the team. First and foremost, they want to win their conference and keep that streak alive. This goal and any other can only be reached if we continue to work hard. We need to move better without the ball, and then of course take care of the ball when we do have it. In short, control the unforced errors.”
Kruscke said the loss of starters from last season has not been part of his mind-set as the team looks to continue its league dominance.
The dynamics of the team have changed because you can’t replace a player like Kirby, but Kruscke has three players in Kelsey Poag, Lizzy Albaugh, and Erica Hansen who have filled in nicely in that position this season.
“All three have had a good season up to this point.,” he said.
“I will tell you, though, none of them are satisfied with where they are at. So I expect each of them to continue to work hard and push each other to improve.”
Kruscke has also gotten a tremendous boost from senior Tara Throop.
“Tara has shown the biggest growth and the biggest surprise to me,” Kruscke said.
“Walking on as a senior after taking last year off to run cross country is no easy task. But the fact that she fitting right in without missing a beat speaks volumes about her athletic abilities.”
Other impact players for the Irish this season have been middle hitters Lauren Fillenworth and Lexi Jarman. They have also played a role in the Irish’s success thus far this season.
“They want to be involved in every play, which means the rest of the team has to turn up the intensity to stay with them,” Kruscke said.
“Another solid player is Lindy Szilagyi, our libero who covers the floor and gets to balls that most would give up on. She has singlehandlely turned herself into a great player. She dedicated the off-season to train and work on her game, and it shows.”
Overall, Kruscke is pleased with the performance of the team but knows tthat here is still work to be done in order for the Irish to turn the corner in the season.
“The season to this point has been a pleasant surprise,” he said. “We came right out this fall playing and competing every time we hit the floor. Because of that early success, it has given us a lot of confidence.”
FOOTBALL
The Sacred Heart football team was 2-2 prior to press time, and coach Rick Robert feels the Irish haven’t hit full steam as of yet.
“I think that our team didn’t realize how tough this year was going to be,” Roberts said.
“Every team we play gives us their best game, and we need to respond better than we have so far.”
The Irish, last year’s Division 8 state champions, are determined to get back to the playoffs, but Roberts knows that the team must improve in a few areas before that can happen.
“Pass protection. We need to give our quarterback more time to find our receivers downfield,” Roberts said. “Preventing big plays. We have given up far too many plays of 30 or more yards this year.”
Through four games, Sacred Heart has had contributions from many players. Two underclassmen have come on quicker than Roberts thought they would this early in their careers. Those players are junior defensive tackle Steve Rudoni and sophomore tight end Brooks Hyble.
“Steve has done a very nice job of filling in and making plays for us,” Roberts said. “He has over 20 tackles and two fumble recoveries. Brooks has done a nice job of run blocking and has been a reliable receiver with three TD receptions so far.”