Season Review: Volleyball posts 11th straight winning season in 2022

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — A challenging schedule didn't stop the Ohio Northern volleyball team from extending its run of success in 2022, as the Polar Bears finished 16-10 overall for their 11th consecutive winning season.

"We played a very difficult schedule this year, and that is what ONU volleyball does year in and year out," third-year head coach Katie Kuhn said. "You have to play the best to grow and hopefully be the best yourself. There were no easy matches this season."

The Polar Bears played eight games against eventual NCAA Tournament teams in 2022, defeating three of them in Covenant (Ga.), Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Otterbein. The team also battled a scheduling quirk, playing just eight home games during the regular season.

"We were road warriors this year," Kuhn said. "I talked with the team about that before the season, and we worked to embrace the reality of our schedule. I feel our team handled it well and went to a variety of different environments and grew from those experiences."

Despite the challenges, Northern posted separate win streaks of six and four games and tied John Carroll and Marietta for second place in the Ohio Athletic Conference with a 6-3 record. The six-game streak included a 3-1 win over Wisconsin-Oshkosh that secured the Polar Bears' 19th ONU Invitational championship.

ONU opened OAC play with four straight victories, including a 3-1 win at then-No. 17 Otterbein, and entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Polar Bears' season came to an end with a 3-1 loss to sixth-seeded Muskingum in the tournament quarterfinals.

Several players were instrumental in the team's success throughout the 2022 season.

Sophomores Erin Wagner (Massillon/Perry) and Rachel Jennings (Novi, Mich.) shined for ONU, earning multiple accolades.

Wagner was named to the All-OAC First Team and was an AVCA All-Region 7 Honorable Mention selection. She was named OAC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 19 after posting a combined 40 kills in leading Northern to a perfect 3-0 mark in the ONU Invitational en route to earning MVP honors. She later notched a career-high 24 kills in a 3-2 win over Wilmington and finished the season with a team-best 338 kills, which ranked fourth in the OAC. Her .290 hitting percentage ranked ninth in the conference, and she tied for second on the team with 63 blocks. An All-OAC Honorable Mention honoree as a freshman, Wagner has 439 kills, a .284 hitting percentage and 99 blocks in 47 career games.

"Erin was exceptional this season," Kuhn said. "She took on a large offensive load, and I am proud of how she handled it. This season was a big maturing and confidence season for her, and I'm looking forward to spring and what the future holds."

Jennings was an All-OAC Second Team, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team and Academic All-OAC selection this season and was twice named OAC Defensive Player of the Week. Now a two-time All-OAC Second Team and four-time OAC Player of the Week honoree, Jennings tallied double-digit dig totals in 23 of ONU's 26 games, including a season-high 34 against Transylvania (Ky.) on Sept. 23. She finished the season with a team-best 486 digs, which ranked fourth in the OAC, and her 33 aces were tied for second-best on the team. In 53 career games, Jennings has 991 digs, 129 assists and 83 aces.

"Rachel is such a team player and an awesome human being," Kuhn said. "She battled through some adversity this season and still maintained playing at a high level. We relied heavily on her to handle the first contact and keep us in system."

Joining Jennings on the CSC Academic All-District Team this season were fifth-year seniors Hannah Irmer (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) and Melina Woods (Ada) and senior Lea McFadden (Chillicothe/Paint Valley).

"We had two fifth-year seniors and one senior that led the way and battled all season long," Kuhn said. "Hannah and Lea both stepped up in the back court and played some excellent volleyball throughout the season. Melina battled through injury and adversity, and while it was not exactly how we had hoped her fifth year would have gone, she gave so much."

Irmer led ONU with 34 aces this season and was second on the team with 317 digs. The 2020 OAC Libero of the Year and First Team All-OAC pick is a three-time Academic All-OAC and OAC Player of the Week selection. She has played in 129 career games, tallying 1,627 digs, 211 assists and 124 aces. She ranks eighth in program history in career digs.

Woods played in 14 games this season and finished with 76 kills and a team-high .298 hitting percentage that ranked sixth in the OAC. She is a two-time All-OAC and Academic All-OAC honoree and was an AVCA All-Region 7 First Team and All-America Honorable Mention pick as a senior in 2021. In 58 career games at ONU, Woods has 565 kills, 203 digs and 96 blocks. Her .322 career hitting percentage ranks fourth all-time at ONU.

McFadden tallied 151 digs, 21 assists and 14 aces in 2022. She has 212 digs, 27 assists and 25 aces in 39 games across three seasons at ONU.

Additionally, sophomores Grace Conrad (Somerset/Sheridan) and Sonia Dahlin (Minnetonka, Minn.) were All-Tournament selections at the ONU Invitational and Berry (Ga.) Invitational, respectively.

Conrad led ONU with 786 assists this season, which ranked fifth in the OAC, while adding 199 digs and 51 kills. She was selected to the ONU Invitational All-Tournament Team after posting a combined 120 assists in three games, including what was then a career-high 47 against Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She later tallied a career-best 56 assists in the 3-2 win over Wilmington.

In 51 career games, she has 1,094 assists, 318 digs, 66 kills and 11 aces.

Dahlin finished 2022 with 232 kills, 63 blocks, 48 digs and 33 aces. She ranked second on the team in kills and tied for second in blocks and aces. She was named to the Berry Invitational All-Tournament Team after posting a combined 27 kills over three games in the event. In 33 career games, Dahlin has 244 kills, 64 blocks and 50 digs.

Juniors Kassie Bowmar (Sunbury/Big Walnut) and Grace Irmer (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) and sophomore Kendra Ackerman (New Washington/Buckeye Central) rounded out the Polar Bear award winners this season as Academic All-OAC honorees.

Other top contributors for ONU this season included sophomore Lauren James (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington), junior Ava Ehlinger (New Carlisle/Tecumseh) and freshman Caroline Hensley (Loveland/Bishop Fenwick).

James finished with a team-best 88 blocks, which ranked second in the OAC, and Ehlinger ranked third on the team with 225 kills. Hensley ranked second on the team with 286 assists.

Now 51-19 overall and 27-7 in the OAC in her three seasons as head coach, Kuhn is looking forward to what next year brings for her program.

"We are ready to get back to work here in the non-traditional season," Kuhn said. "I believe we all need a break to reflect on this season and then navigate the hard work and grind that is ahead. I look forward to growing and teaching in the non-traditional season and then going to battle with these young women come August."