12/5/2011

Three Sign Letter of Intents for Greyhound Volleyball

Head Coach Lindsay Hill announced today of three seniors who signed NJCAA National Letters of Intent with the Greyhound Volleyball program. Sarah Williams, Jacy Ermel, and Haylee Toothman will join the Greyhounds in the fall of 2012.

Williams is a 5-8 outside hitter from Topeka, Kansas. She played high school volleyball for Washburn Rural High School, coached by Kevin Bordewick. She also plays club volleyball for Topeka Elite, coached by Kate Hampson. Williams helped lead her team to the Kansas State Championship this past year as a senior. She is the daughter of Rebecca Cushing and Phil Williams. She is undecided on a major at this time. “I chose Fort Scott to continue my playing career because I believe in Coach Hill’s vision,” Williams stated.

“I have had the chance to watch Sarah grow throughout her high school career. She will do great things at Fort Scott. She brings competitiveness, athleticism and leadership – she is the complete package. She was a very sought after OH in this conference, we are extremely excited that she chose us,” said Coach Hill.

Ermel is a 6-0 outside hitter from Uniontown, Kansas. She played high school volleyball for Uniontown High School, coached by Jackie Hall. She also plays club volleyball for FS Juniors, coached by Taylyn Schwartz. Ermel was an All-Conference Player for Uniontown. She is the daughter of Jo and Jim Ermel. Ermel plans on majoring in Massage Therapy upon graduation of FSCC.

“Jacy is another athlete that I have had the chance to work with over the past several summers. She is a great athlete with her best years still to come. She has the skills to play all the way around and her size will give her a huge advantage in this conference. It is great that Jacy is a great local talent that wanted to stay close to home,” said Coach Hill.

Toothman is a 5-8 outside hitter from Shawnee, Kansas. She played high school volleyball for Maranatha Academy, coached by Karla Stockard. She also plays club volleyball for KC Explosion for Kathy Cox. Toothman is a four year starter for Marantha and was selected First Team All-Conference in 2009, 2010 and 2011. She was also chosen 2010 Second Team All Johnson County Sun selection. Toothman holds her high school career kills and digs record. She is the daughter of Mark and Brenda Toothman. She plans on majoring in Elementary Education. Toothman made this comment, “After visiting the campus and speaking with Coach Hill and Coach Jordan, I felt that Fort Scott would be a perfect school for me to begin my collegiate volleyball career. Their commitment to the program and strong emphasis on education made it a clear choice.”

“Haylee is an unselfish competitor and a tremendous ball control player. She can play anywhere on the court, making her very versatile. Haylee is a very coachable athlete, I look for her to grow and progress a great deal in our training system,” stated Coach Hill.

11/15/2011

Hounds Receive Post Season Recognition

The Greyhound Volleyball Team was well represented as the All-Conference and All-District Teams were named this past week. Both teams are voted on by the Head Coaches of each KJCCC school.

Paula Okrutna, 6’1 freshman right side hitter from Poland, was named to First Team All-District M and First Team All-Conference. Taylyn Schwartz, 5’7 freshman setter from Eureka, was named Second Team All-District M and Honorable Mention All-Conference. Kate Smith, 5’4 freshman libero from Liberty, MO, was named First Team All-District M.

“All three of these young ladies deserve these honors. I am proud of how they represented FSCC and our volleyball program. Can you imagine them as sophomores? It will be a great foundation to grow on for next year,” said Head Coach Lindsay Hill.

11/8/2011

Greyhounds finish season 25-10

FORT SCOTT, Kans. - The Greyhound Volleyball season finished much differently than in years past. The Greyhounds concluded their season with wins over Cottey and NEO. They traveled to NEO on Monday, October 24th, and won the match 21-25, 25-15, 25-22, and 25-15. Wednesday, October 26th, the hounds lost a close match to KCK 23-25, 25-21, 19-25, 24-26. On Friday, October 28th, they took on Cottey, winning the match 25-21, 25-17, 25-15 and Saturday, October 29th, they defeated NEO once again 27-25, 25-21, and 25-15.

Last year at this time, the Lady Hounds finished with a 5-29 record; however this year’s team was bound and determined to start a new tradition, a tradition of winning. They did exactly that…25 times this fall the Greyhounds posted a tally in the win column.

“This year was completely different, in a good way. Coach Hill and Coach Jordan had expectations, rules, discipline and it played a huge role in our success. I am thankful they made us work hard,” sophomore Heather Greer said. She also went on to say, “We weren’t always the most talented team on the court, but we were usually the most disciplined. Coach always says, “Stay humble and work hard” and I felt we did this well.”

“These young ladies have set a standard for this program. I am very proud of them. They accomplished a goal never achieved by any other volleyball team in school history; they won 20+ games. For any team, that is a big accomplishment, but for a first year rebuilding program, that is what you call a success,” said Head Coach Lindsay Hill.

As and added bonuslast week, freshman right side hitter, Paula Okrutna, was named player of the week by the KJCCC. She tallied 93 kills, 4.5 blocks, and 32 digs for the week. She also put up a .364 hitting percentage. Okrutna is currently leading the nation in kills per set with 4.98.

The Greyhounds finished the 2011 season with a 25-10 record. The bar has been set, with the hopes that next year’s 2012 team will go above and beyond. Let the tradition of winning seasons begin!!

10/17/2011

Tryouts for Club Volleyball

FS Juniors is a new volleyball club that is starting this year in the Fort Scott area. We would like to invite you to tryout for your specific age group. The Club will give you numerous opportunities to get training and playing time, all year round. We offer qualified coaches that will assist you in getting the best training possible, plus the opportunity to start your recruiting process. Tryouts will be held in Fort Scott at Buck Run Community Center and have been set for the following age groups: Nov. 6th 3:00 pm-5:00pm Anyone 14 and Under Nov. 13th 3:00 pm-5:00pm 15’s, 16’s, 17’s, 18’s Buck Run Community Center is located at 735 Scott Ave, Fort Scott, KS 66701. We are expecting enough young ladies to fill a 12, 14, 16, & 18’s team. If we can, we will also have a 15’s and 17’s team. This is not a club that is trying to make money; the charge for participating in the club will cover the cost of Apparel, Membership Fee, Tournament Fees, Practice Facilities, Equipment, etc. We want to provide the best training program possible, for as little as we can. The final cost will be determined after the final number of participants is selected. Practices will be twice a week, working around the girl’s schedules, including basketball. We understand the commitment that you have to High School sports, so we will work with this. Please visit the following link for the necessary paperwork that needs to be completed before tryouts. http://www.fortscott.edu/athletics/volleyball/juniors.aspx If you have any questions regarding the club or tryouts, please feel free to call Coach Marisa Jordan at work 620-223-2700 ext. 7203 or email mjordan@fortscott.edu.

10/4/2011

Greyhound Volleyball goes 2-0 over the weekend

The Fort Scott Greyhound Volleyball team had yet another successful weekend, going 2-0 at the Cottey College Tri. The first opponents were the host of the matches, Cottey College. They Greyhounds fought through the first set; winning the match 3-0. The scores were 25-23, 25-12, 25-16. The Hounds were led by Paula Okrutna who put up 23 kills, 9 digs and 5 blocks. Taylyn Schwartz added 2 kills, 38 assists, 7 digs, while Amber Thomas had 11 kills. “We finished this match strong. Our defense is getting better, which is allowing us to have more chances to earn points. Paula and Taylyn led the team in this match, they both played very well,” stated Head Coach Lindsay Hill. The weekend was concluded with a match versus Stephens College. The Hounds won the match with the scores of 25-21, 25-23, 25-14. Okrutna led the team in kills with 26 on 56 attempts, 13 digs and 4 blocks. Greer had 13 kills, Schwartz had 45 assists, and Timme added 18 digs. “It was a successful weekend. Everyone got to play, with several young ladies showing huge improvements. I am proud of them!” said Head Coach Lindsay Hill. These two wins move the Hounds to 17-6. They will travel on Wednesday to El Dorado, KS to take on the Butler Grizzlies. Only 11 matches remain in the Hounds season, with 5 district games yet to go.

9/27/2011

‘Hound Volleyball goes 3-0 - Okrutna receives KJCCC Player of the Week

The Greyhound Volleyball Team once again had a strong weekend showing, as the Hounds went 3-0 at the Allen County Tournament.  For the third straight time this season, the Hounds defeated Friends JV with scores of 25-22, 25-15.  Okrutna led the team with 10 kills, 6 digs and 1.5 blocks.  Amber Thomas followed with 7 kills, Schwartz added 24 assists, and Smith had 10 digs. Next the Hounds took on Neosho County, winning 25-18, 25-21.  Once again, Okrutna led the team with 9 kills, 2 aces and 3 digs.  Thomas and Greer each added 5 kills, Schwartz put up 19 assists, and Smith had 19 digs. Allen County was the last opponent, with the Hounds taking the match 25-22, 15-25, 15-10.  Okrutna put up 12 kills and 12 digs, Thomas had 11 kills, Schwartz added 30 assists, while Smith had 10 digs.  With the three wins, this moves the Greyhounds to 15-5 on the season.  “We are playing well right now.  We are extremely excited about receiving votes on the National Poll.  Kudos goes out to these young ladies who have turned this program around.  They have put Fort Scott on the Volleyball map,” commented Head Coach Lindsay Hill. To top the week, Paula Okrutna received the KJCCC Verizon Wireless DII Player of the Week.  She helped lead the team with 49 kills on the week, with a hitting percentage of 33%.  She had five blocks, 32 digs and 3 aces on the week.  The Greyhounds are home on Wednesday night, taking on Coffeyville at 6:30pm.

9/20/2011

Greyhound Volleyball Adds Two More to Win Column

They Greyhound Volleyball Team traveled to Wichita on Saturday to take on Friends JV.  They came home with two victories under their belt, improving their record to 12-4 on the season.  The ‘Hounds one match one with the scores of  25-11, 28-26, 22-25, 25-13.  Paula Okrutna led the ‘Hounds with 22 kills and 9 digs, followed by Heather Greer with 15 kills and 16 digs.  Taylyn Schwartz put up 43 assists and Kate Smith had 19 digs. “In set one, we played extremely well.  We did not make very many mistakes.  Heather was overall very consistent in match one, she did great things both on the front court and back court,” commented Coach Hill. The second match was just as exciting as the ‘Hounds swept Friends JV with scores of 25-18, 25-19, 25-18.  Heather Greer led the team with 12 kills and 14 digs, while Paula Okrutna tallied 14 kills and 9 digs, Amber Thomas had 9 kills and 3 blocks, Taylyn Schwartz totaled 31 assists, and Kate Smith had 11 digs. “I am very proud of these young ladies.  Each day this week, these young ladies have come in focused and ready to improve.  Our overall play is getting better, as each individual becomes better at their jobs,” stated Coach Hill