'Learned how to fight': Perry volleyball team enjoys big turnaround after 0-4 start
PERRY TWP. — A coming together moment was needed for the Perry High School volleyball team before the calendar changed to September.
At 0-4, the Panthers were not off to the fast start they wanted after a tough 2022 season. The Federal League season was on the horizon. The last thing Perry wanted was to face was a big deficit in the league race.
What a difference a few weeks can make.
After Tuesday's 25-15, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22 victory over Green, the Panthers celebrated their sixth straight win since the 0-4 start. They ended the first half of the league season just one game behind first-place Jackson. The Polar Bears are the only team in the league to beat Perry.
Why are the Panthers winning? Head coach Sheena Stropki said that senior setter Sarah Mohr summed up the turnaround in the post-match huddle.
"She said that we have really learned how to fight," Stropki said.
Mohr is a senior who helped Perry win a Division I district title in 2021. Graduation hit that team, and the Panthers struggled to a 7-17 finish last season.
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Losses to Mentor, Smithville, Austintown Fitch and Jackson in August made the 2023 season feel a lot like 2022.
"We were just trying to figure how we jive together and the whole atmosphere we wanted to create," Mohr said.
Freshman coach Melissa Evans-Knop met with the Panthers before they faced McKinley in their fifth match. She talked about being all in as a team.
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The players have a device they use to help strengthen their bond.
"I don't know how to describe it," Mohr said. "Basically you hold one end, you hold each other's hands and you have to connect in order for it to buzz or make the weird sound it makes. That's like our symbol of being all in for each other.
"I think a big part of sports and life in general is just figuring out how you fight best and also how you can connect with your team to fight best. Toward the beginning of the season when we were losing, we were all playing as individuals. With that 'all in' mindset, we're able to connect how we do our best and put it for each other."
Perry's win streak has not been full of sweeps. The Panthers needed five sets to beat 2022 Division IV regional semifinalist Central Catholic and Hoover. In addition to Green, GlenOak also extended them to four sets.
Matches like these will make Perry battle tested as the season goes on.
"That's definitely getting us ready for tournament play and the rest of Federal League play," Stropki said. "The Federal League is tough. We go in every night against an opponent that's going to push us pretty hard. I think this is going to make us a stronger team. They're going to be stronger and tougher from it."
Mohr finished with 52 assists against Green. Emma Weirich served 15 points and had a team-high 16 kills. Hope Miller led the defense with 17 digs.
Weirich forms a formidable attack line that also includes players such as Brooke Jannelli and Bailey Weirich.
"I think we have a solid group of hitters," Stropki said. "Our libero (Miller) and setter (Mohr) played on our district championship team. They know what it takes to be at the top. They really step up when he need them the most."
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Perry volleyball team goes 'all in,' rolls off six straight wins
