Second-year coach Larry Salefsky entered this season as Ashley’s volleyball coach knowing he would have to rely on senior leadership to guide the Eagles. Halfway through Mideastern Conference play, Ashley remains unbeaten at 5-0 with seniors Kara Plotner (libero), Brandi Thomas (outside hitter), Emery McGee (outside hitter) and Mackenzie O’Connell (setter) controlling the tempo on the court.
“Ball control is the strong point for our girls. We’ve got three seniors that pass everything for us; [they] keep our offense running smooth. They touch every first ball that comes over the net and it helps the rest of the team,” Salefsky said.
Plotner has been solid in the back court with 324 digs this season. Averaging six digs per match, she ranks fourth in the state for all 4A high school liberos, according to Salefsky. O’Connell sets up the big hitters in Thomas, McGee, and junior standout Felecity Havens. Havens has been a force at middle hitter with a team-high 54 blocks. Thomas and McGee have a combined 339 kills, while O’Connell has recorded 364 assists. Thomas averages 4.5 kills per game, while Havens has a hitting percentage at .482.
“They’ve driven the team. Work ethic, being here over the summer, staying late for workouts— there’s never a day they give less than 100 percent,” he said.
The Eagles are gearing up for a tough week on the road. They begin the stretch at New Bern tonight, then head to 4A powerhouse Greenville-Rose on Thursday. At this point in the season, practices are limited. The team sharpens their on-court skills when they’re not playing a match.
“We treat each practice day as a walk -hrough for the next match. Like in football or basketball, we go through every defensive rotation, every offensive rotation, every offensive play to make sure everyone’s in the right spot,” Salefsky said.
The team expects to win a conference championship and make noise in the state playoffs.
“We want to finish strong—No. 1 in conference and go far in the playoffs,” said Plotner, the team’s captain.
Ashley is 12-3 overall and 5-0 in conference.
Salefsky provided the following individual statistics, which are current as of Sept. 27:
No. 1 Brandi Thomas, senior outside hitter- 30 aces, 218 kills, seven assists, 26 blocks, 153 digs
No. 2 Kara Plotner, senior libero- 20 aces, two kills, 42 assists, 324 digs
No. 3 Emery McGee, senior outside hitter- 18 aces, 121 kills, four assists, 18 blocks, 149 digs
No. 4 Brittany Butts, junior right side hitter- 12 kills, three blocks, nine digs
No. 5 Jordan Tew, sophomore right side hitter- four kills, two blocks, two digs
No. 6 Addison Garrigus, junior setter- 36 aces, 98 kills, 202 assists, 12 blocks, 44 digs
No. 7 Callie Long, junior outside hitter- 11 aces, nine kills, one assist, 14 digs
No. 8 Chyna Cotton, freshman middle hitter- 67 kills, 26 blocks, four digs
No. 11 Taylor Carter, junior right side hitter-one ace, 16 kills, one assist, 19 blocks, 10 digs
No. 12 Mackenzie O’Connell, senior setter-42 aces, 6 kills, 364 assists, 88 digs
No. 13 Alex Fava, junior defensive specialist- two aces, one kill, three digs
No. 14 Felecity Havens, junior middle hitter- two aces, 164 kills, 54 blocks,18 digs
Hitting average
No. 1 Brandi Thomas- .390
No. 3 Emery McGee- .240
No. 6 Addison Garrigus- .202
No. 8 Chyna Cotton- .255
No. 11 Taylor Carter- .047
No. 14 Felecity Havens-.482
Felecity Havens’ hitting average is .482. This hitting percentage puts her at No. 35 in the nation for all high school athletes and No. 1 in North Carolina for all 4A high school hitters.
Brandi Thomas averages 4.5 kills per game. This number puts her at No. 2 in North Carolina for all 4A high school hitters.
Mackenzie O’Connell averages 6.7 assists per game. This number puts her at No. 13 in the state for all 4A high school setters.
Kara Plotner averages six digs per game. This number puts her at No. 4 in North Carolina for high school liberos.
