Stritch volleyball hoping to peak as it enters the stretch run

Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

At 12-4 and 4-2 in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference, Cardinal Stritch is hoping to enter the stretch run on a high note.
The Cardinals, whose two league losses have come to Ottawa Hills, are in the midst of a successful season. Led by the likes of Layla Cathers, Carlie White, Olivia Ford and Ryley Rodriguez, Stritch is hoping to peak when the postseason arrives.
Stritch is doing this without any big hitters, as the tallest player on the team is Cathers, who is just 5-7.
Cathers, Kendra Geisbuhler and Elena Rodriguez are the three seniors on the team.
“It’s been a process,” said Stritch coach Logan Manders, who is assisted by Brittany LeGare and Alexa St. Julian. “We have many younger players who have grown into their roles.
Manders has coached across the spectrum of the sport, from school to travel to beach to adult leagues for just over two decades.
Before taking the job at Stritch, Manders, who played volleyball at Defiance College, coached JV and junior high volleyball at Whitmer, her alma mater.
“We have to continue growing and being positive,” she said. “We hope to finish the season on a high note.” Cathers leads the team in kills with 143, White is first in blocks (16), Ford leads the team in assists (294) and Ryley Rodriguez is first in digs (124).
The rest of the team includes Eliyah Pecina, Kennedy Burzynski, Gianna DeGasto, Morgan Kennedy and Jasmine Peek.
Manders counts the 3-0 win over Toledo Christian as the highlight of the season. The two teams split last year. “The girls have had their ups and downs but have enjoyed the season. The coaches have loved watching the upperclassman take on leadership roles and the underclassman improve their confidence and skills,” she said.
Last season, the Cardinals lost, 3-0, to Lakota in a Division IV sectional final.
Now, because there are seven divisions in the state, Stritch will compete in Division VII.