The New Richmond girls volleyball team won their first league title since 1997.

The New Richmond girls volleyball team won their first league title since 1997.
By Chris Chaney
Sports Editor

Accomplishments live forever on banners hanging from the rafters of the New Richmond High School gymnasium and the lack of updates to the girls volleyball conference championship banner acted as a constant reminder to the Lady Lions as they prepared for the 2015 season.

“(The banner) was in the gym every day when we practiced,” head coach Carla Corbin said. “Volleyball is the only sport that only had one year up there (on the banner) and it was 1997, so we made it our goal at the beginning of the season that this was going to be the year to put 2015 up on the banner.”

With a goal in mind — win the Southern Buckeye Conference American Division — the Lady Lions set out to accomplish it, making significant progress in the early going.

“We won our first league game (Sept. 1 at Batavia), so at the very beginning of the season, we were in first place and we stayed there all season,” Corbin said. “Halfway through, it became like a four-way tie, so we knew that we had to keep winning and playing well.”

New Richmond went through the first round of divisional games 4-1, defeating Batavia, Amelia, Norwood and Goshen, but falling in five games to Western Brown. Beginning their second run through the division at the beginning of October, the title race was coming into clearer view.

Another victory over Batavia was followed by a loss to Amelia. However, the Lady Lions bounced back to win their next two matches over Norwood and Western Brown.

In the dog-eat-dog race, New Richmond, Amelia and Western Brown were all still in the hunt entering the last week of the conference season, Oct. 12. With games against New Richmond and Amelia, Western Brown would control their own destiny while the other two teams could only do their part and hope for the best.

The Lady Lions took down Western Brown in straight sets, moving New Richmond to 8-2 on the year and ahead of the Lady Broncos and needing the team that they just beat to play spoiler against Amelia.

Western Brown came through, defeating Amelia on Oct. 13 to place both WB and Amelia in second place with matching 7-3 records.

The banner would be updated.

“We had a very young group. I only had one senior, but last year I only had two seniors, so we a core group back,” Corbin said. “The additional sophomores on the team really helped. Most of my team plays club volleyball, so that helps with experience.”

The Lady Lions finished the regular season 15-6 overall and earned the No. 4 seed in the Division II sectional tournament, eventually falling in the sectional final to top-seeded Wyoming.

Having updated one banner, the Lady Lions’ eyes wandered from the league title banner to others hanging in the home gym.

“After we won league and the girls were really excited about getting the year on the banner, then we looked around saw the sectional banner,” Corbin said. “I’m hoping (next year) we can repeat with another league title with the majority of my players returning and playing club this winter.

“Maybe next year, in addition to setting our goals to win league at the beginning of the season, we can set our goals to make it through and win sectionals.”