Clarion Area Lady Cats Volleyball 2020 Season Preview (Posted 09/15/20)
Shari Campbell has been the head coach at Clarion Area for 22 years. Her assistant coaches are Tracy Durish, who is the Junior Varsity head coach and Sammi Beichner, who is a volunteer assistant. Shari’s husband Jim Campbell is the team’s media person.
The Lady Cats come off of the 2019 season, where they were 30-11-4, the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference Champions and District Nine Class-A Champions. Clarion advanced to the PIAA State semifinals, where they lost to eventual State Champion Northern Cambria. Up to that point, including district and state playoffs, The Lady Cats won five matches, without losing a game.
This year’s team has some key returners including: Senior, Brenna Campbell – Setter (All-State last year); Junior, Korrin Burns – Outside Hitter (All-State last season); Sophomore, Aryana Girvan – Right Side Hitter; Junior, Payton Simko – Middle Hitter; and Junior, Jordan Best – Libero, Outside Hitter.
Coach Campbell said, “Our expectations are high. We have a lot of kids returning that have a lot of great experience and are hungry for the chance to compete and are hungry to exceed the expectations of last season.
“Our expectations are also to keep this team healthy, to keep the community healthy and to do all that we can to ensure that we are doing what we need to do, to have a season and to complete a season.”
Coach Campbell showed her pride in her team’s hard work to try to ensure having a season, in this tough time of the Covid19 pandemic.
“The team has been working hard in so many aspects. They have been working hard individually for some time. They have been working hard at following new protocols. I’m really proud of how much maturity this group is showing, in taking responsibility, for embracing a lot of changes like flying above what a lot of the whole entire world sees as a problem and politics and just being on the up-and-up with working together. It exemplifies what we want in a team, to be a team player and to do what it takes to let your team compete.
“So I’m really proud of how hard they’ve worked, working outside of who they are as a team. Individually, they’ve stayed the course and been pretty gritty about not been able to play an opponent, or have team camp, or anything. That takes a lot of perseverance. So I’m proud of them for that.”
(All the best to the Lady Cats, on a successful 2020 season!!!!)
(Roster and Schedule below)
2020 Clarion Area Volleyball Roster
Varsity
| Adia Needham MH | 5 |
| Aryana Girvan RS | 7 |
| Ava Kiser DS | 11 |
| Brenna Campbell S | 22 |
| Jordan Best L, OH | 12 |
| Korrin Burns OH | 4 |
| Erica Selfridge OH | 6 |
| Noel Anthony S, DS | 14 |
| Payton Simko MH | 3 |
| Grace Ochs S, DS | 10 |
| Brianne Pierce DS | 24 |
Junior Varsity
| Bailey Rupert OH | 3 |
| Gia Babington OH | 12 |
| Jordyn Smith RS | 6 |
| Lauren LerchDS | 23 |
| Makenzie Aaron DS | 5 |
| Mercedes Cunningham MH/RS | 21 |
| Paola Lopez MH/RS | 18 |
| Alexis Sobalvarro MH/RS | 16 |
| Taylor Alston S/MH | 14 |
| Grace Ochs S/OH | 10 |
| Brianne Pierce L/OH | 4 |
2020 Clarion Area Volleyball Schedule (subject to change)
Tuesday 09/15/20 *Redbank Valley Home 6:00
Thursday 09/17/20 *Keystone Home 6:00
Saturday 09/19/20 OPEN DATE (Clarion Area Varsity Tournament) Home 8:30 AM
Wednesday 09/23/20 Maplewood Away 5:30
Saturday 09/26/20 Tyrone High School (Both Varsity and JV) Away 11:00 AM
Monday 09/28/20 *Cranberry Away 6:00
Tuesday 09/29/20 *Clarion-Limestone Away 6:00
Wednesday 09/30/20 DuBois Home 6:00
Thursday 10/01/20 *Karns City Home 6:00
Tuesday 10/06/20 *Allegheny-Clarion Valley (DIG PINK EVENT) Home 6:00
Thursday 10/08/20 *Forest Area Away 6:00
Tuesday 10/13/20 *North Clarion Away 6:00
Thursday 10/15/20 *Moniteau Home 6:00
Monday 10/19/20 Warren Home 6:00
Tuesday 10/20/20 *Union High School (SENIOR NIGHT CELEBRATION) Home 6:00
Thursday 10/22/20 *Venango Catholic Away 6:00