Sometimes it's not what a team does during the season that defines its success. What happens in the offseason can often be just as important.

“Our team meshed really well together this year,” Genoa senior Alyssa Meis said. “We had a lot of team bonding things before the season. We went to a team camp at the University of Michigan. We haven't really done that before and I definitely think that helped.”

Having seven returning seniors from last season certainly helped the Comets' volleyball team this fall. Genoa, which took third in the Suburban Lakes League a year ago, tied Eastwood for the SLL championship this season.

“This season we knew Otsego wasn't going to be as good and Eastwood was going to be the team to beat,” said Meis, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter. “We wanted to go out on top our senior year. I think we played awesome. We just have fun together, and it's better when you win all the time. It was a good time and really memorable.”

Second-year coach Amanda Cichocki's squad takes a 17-5 record (11-1 SLL) into Saturday's 3 p.m. home match against Northwood in the Division III sectional tournament. The Comets' lone league loss was to visiting Eastwood, in five games. The Comets won at Eastwood, also in five games.

“That was a great rivalry this year,” Cichocki said. “It was fun.”

Meis is one of four seniors who are three-year varsity starters, joining 5-11 middle hitter Jessica Feller, libero Brandi Schimming and setter Hannah Morrison. Senior defensive specialists Harlee Hummel and Kara Harmeyer are also returning starters, while 5-11 senior middle hitter Bailee Adams has played in 60 of 65 games this year.

Cichocki, who was the Comets' junior varsity coach for three years, said she expected her seniors to step it up a notch this season.

“I've been at Genoa for five years and this set of seniors was my second group,” she said. “They're such close friends on the court as well as off the court, and you don't find that much. It's kind of cool to watch them grow and still be friends and push each other. They enjoy being around each other and they don't mind putting in the hours in the gym.”

Meis leads the team in aces (41) and kills to go along with 212 digs. Her 241 kills broke the school's single-season record.

“Obviously she's one of our go-to attackers,” Cichocki said. “I looked to her this year to push herself and push her team. She's led the team in kills all three years she's started on varsity. She's beaten her previous season high in kills, and that shows that she was more determined this year, a little more focused. Although she wasn't a captain, I believe she was a leader for our team. With seven seniors, it's hard for everybody to be a captain.”

Feller has 29 aces and is second on the team with 176 kills. She also has a team-high 69 blocks.

“She's very competitive and very versatile and is a strong blocker,” Cichocki said. “We put more pressure on her to put away more balls and we tried to incorporate her more into our offense. She was very aggressive at the net and saw the court very well. The last half of the SLL season was probably the highlight of her career. She played phenomenal.”

Schimming, a team captain along with Morrison, has 39 aces and 406 digs.

“This is her second year as a libero, and she's one of those players that you don't want to leave the court,” Cichocki said. “She pursues every single ball in the back row. She's deterimined and wants the ball to come to her. She's had a great season and really left it out on the floor. She's definitely been an impact player on our team.”

Morrison, a varsity setter for three years, has 535 assists to kill and 30 aces.

“Hannah is a great floor leader,” Cichocki said. “She knows what play to run in whatever type of situation and doesn't mind criticism. Being a setter, you don't get a lot of praise and she's fine with that. She just works hard for her teammates and she definitely led the team throughout the year. Without her on the floor, I definitely think our team would have been lost.”

On Saturday, top-seeded Genoa faces a Northwood team it beat in three games earlier this season. The Rangers topped Ottawa Hills in Tuesday's opening round.

“I don't think we're satisfied yet,” Meis said. “We want to go pretty far in the tournament. If we lose anytime soon, we'd all be pretty disappointed.”

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