NWOAL OPENER … Evergreen’s Avah Vaculik keeps the ball alive during the Vikings’ three-set win at Bryan.
PHOTOS BY REBEKAH DELL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
IN PLAY … Bryan sophomore Gezzy Kidston connects on a serve in the opening set.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
BRYAN (August 26, 2025) – It took three competitive sets for the Evergreen Vikings to register a tough 25-20, 26-24, 25-22 victory Tuesday night over a scrappy Bryan squad in the Northwest Ohio Athletic League volleyball opener for both teams.
“Really, really important,” commented Evergreen head coach Kelsey Wulf, whose squad improved to 3-1 on the season and 1-0 in the NWOAL.
“We knew we had played Bryan during the summer, and they actually had to beat us in the league that had played throughout the summer. So, we knew what we were coming into.”
Both teams had battled tough in the first set with plenty of momentum. Evergreen’s Lanae Manz scored on a serve point for a 10-6 lead before Bryan’s Kelsie Thiel, who had played tough all night long at the net, recorded three straight blacks to tie it at 10-10.
It was close until Avah Vaculik recorded a kill, giving the Lady Vikings a 23-16 lead, and senior Bailey Lumbrezer closed it out with a tip at the net for the 25-20 first set win.
In the second set, Bryan led by as many as five points, 17-12, on a serve by junior Alea Shilling, which forced Evergreen into calling a timeout.
From there, the Vikings responded with junior Avery Emmitt igniting a 10-6 late in the second set with an ace, and junior Leah Elliott followed with a serve point, closing the gap to 23-22. A frontcourt tip by Thiel gave the Bears a 24-23 lead before a block by Evergreen senior Beth Sintobin tied the match at 24-24.
Evergreen would then score the final two points in the second set with Manz recording a kill and Emmitt scoring on a tip at the net for a 26-24 victory. The Vikings would put together a decisive 9-1 run to begin the third set. Sintobin and Manz each recorded a pair of attacks in the run, and a Vaculik serve point pushed Evergreen into a 13-5 lead.
“It took us a little bit; they were starting to block us a lot,” said the Vikings’ coach. “We were able to figure it out, kind of keep the defense on their toes. “I thought our hitters really came through in times, hitting around the block and finding open spots.”
Despite trailing by eight points, the Bears then got themselves right back into it. Nora Kunsman ignited a 14-6 run with a tip while senior Clare Stever recorded a serve point, and another key tip at the net by Thiel had pulled Bryan to within one point, 20-19, before Evergreen finally called a timeout.
“We definitely are not going to give up and roll over,” said Bryan’s first-year head coach Chelsea Cordy. “We definitely want to come out and fight until the very end. I’m proud of them to finish swinging and being aggressive.
“Just hoping that those swings would fall our way and being able to put this together and come out on top.”
Another serve point by Stever tied the match at 20-20, but the Lady Vikings were able to come away with Sintobin closing it out with a block and a tough 25-22 triumph.
“We knew they (Bryan) were much improved and so we were expecting a battle, and it exactly what it was,” said Wulf. “Bryan never gave up, and we also, on our side, really did our best to never let the ball hit the floor.” Manz led the Lady Vikings with 16 digs along with 15 kills, and three aces.
Lauren Valentine had 12 digs. Lissa Roesti registered 27 assists. Vaculik had 11 digs while Ireland Smallman and Radel each had two aces. “We really are working on in practice of not becoming comfortable,” pointed out the Evergreen coach.
“We build leads and then we become comfortable and let the other team push back. So that’s what we are working hard in practice, and obviously, we still have work to do.”
Cordy led the Bears (2-4, 0-1 NWOAL) with 16 assists and three aces. Stever had 10 digs and one ace. Thiel had eight blocks and one ace. Ava Neubig recorded six kills. Gezzy Kidston had 10 digs and four kills. Reese Ruffer had six digs, and Nora Kunsman had five kills.
“We definitely have resilience,” said Chelsea Cordy, referring to the Lady Bears’ third set comeback effort. “We wanted to come back, and we want to fight just kind of one point at a time and to be able to dig our way back into the game.
“So that’s what I do like about these girls, is they’re not ready to give up.” Despite dropping its fourth straight match, the Lady Bears’ coach added that her team showed a lot of character in the league opener. “We are not done yet,” pointed out Chelsea Cordy.
“We believe that these girls have so much potential that we just haven’t quite tapped into. We’re going to get the confidence to find and come out and win some games this week.”
Evergreen d. Bryan 25-20, 26-24, 25-22
Evergreen (3-1, 1-0 NWOAL): Lanae Manz 16 digs, 15 kills; Lissa Roesti 8 digs, 27 assists; Lauren Valentine 12 digs
Bryan (2-4, 0-1 NWOAL): Ava Neubig – 6 kills; Gezzy Kidston 10 digs, 4 kills; Clare Stever 10 digs; Jozie Cordy 16 assists JUNIOR VARSITY: Evergreen, 14-25, 25-14, 25-19