Dalton top area VB team to watch in tourney

| October 9, 2011 | 1 Comment

The undefeated, No. 2-ranked Div. III Dalton volleyball team is the top area squad to watch heading into the postseason.

The WCAL champion Bulldogs (20-0, 12-0), who have a pair of league matches to wrap up the regular season this week, should get the top seed at the Div. III Smithville Sectional-District draw Sunday.

I’d look for Orrville and Dalton’s fellow WCAL rivals Northwestern, Norwayne and Smithville to also get seed considerations.

Health will be the big key for Dalton as two key performers — Audrey Metzger (a D.R. POTY candidate) and Rachel Knetzer — have both been battling nagging knee issues.

However, the focused Bulldogs have the talent if all goes well to earn a return state trip despite moving up a division.

“It feels good and the girls have worked extremely hard,” said third-year Dalton coach Shanna Hildebrandt, of the WCAL title, who directed the school’s first state volleyball team to a Div. IV spot in Dayton last year. “At the same time it’s still pretty early in the season and we haven’t even had our tournament draw yet.”

Category: High School

Aaron Dorksen

About Aaron Dorksen: Aaron Dorksen has been Sports Editor of The Daily Record since 2000 and has been with the paper since 1997. He lives in Wooster with his wife, Angela, and their son, Arch, who was born in November of 2010. A graduate of Chardon High School and Bowling Green State University, Dorksen has won numerous state and national Associated Press writing awards, including being named an Ohio AP Sports Writer of the Year. He can be reached at 330-287-1621 or adorksen@the-daily-record.com View author profile.

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  1. Jeff Bennett says:
    October 12, 2011 at 4:14 pm

    I agree! If they stay healthy, it will be difficult to defeat the Metzger/Knetzer duo. I predict they are on their way to state!

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