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Pack led Hillclimbers back to the top
Urbana had eight losses in 2010, but only two this past season.
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By Kermit Rowe,
Staff Writer
11:53 PM Thursday, November 17, 2011
URBANA — When the Urbana Hillclimbers lost eight times in 25 matches last season, it raised some eyebrows in volleyball circles.
The reason: The Hillclimbers don’t normally lose that many in two seasons, having one of the most consistently successful programs in the area.
So when they finished the 2011 season on top of the area mountain, it came as little surprise to many — including head coach Chuck Pack.
“After watching them play this summer, and they played a lot, I knew that if we could put focus and emphasis on our serve receive, we could really do something,” said Pack, this year’s News-Sun All-Area Volleyball Coach of the Year.
“That was our key focus all summer. When they started passing the ball and picking up the ball on defense like they were, it opened up a lot of different things for us.”
Urbana finished the season ranked 10th in the state with a 24-2 record and a Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division title, advancing to the district final.
Its only losses were to state powers Cincinnati Wyoming in Division II and St. Henry in D-IV.
Probably the toughest part about defensing the ’Climbers was their versatility.
“Different kids stepped up at different times and we were able to do a lot of things with that,” said Pack. “We had a lot of experienced players who came back this year. Our mind set was if we could pass it well enough to where we could run a three-option offense, we could really spread things out.”
Pack feels very fortunate to have the supporting cast around him that he does. He traces that emphasis back to seven years ago, when he first became head coach after 10 seasons as an Urbana assistant.
“(Former Urbana athletic director) Ron Saylor asked me if I was ready, and I’ll never forget the advice he gave me, to put the best coaching staff I could together,” said Pack. “To teach the girls the fundamental skills at the early stages. I think we are very fortunate in our program to have so many talented coaches.”
That starts with Urbana coaching legend Pam Brenning.
“Having a varsity assistant who has won a state championship as a head coach and coached at Wittenberg is a big plus,” he said. “She’s taught me a lot about how to prepare kids. It’s easier to have confidence in the sidelines when you have assistants there who can help you out.”
Pack traces the coaching talent all the way down to the junior high ranks, where Urbana won CBC titles in eighth and seventh grade.
“In any sport, when you have kids on the floor who have confidence, it is a huge factor. These seniors I had this year, they have confidence. In their six years, they’ve had four championships and two runner-ups.”
That confidence translated into a memorable season, even by Urbana standards.
“The girls have a lot to be proud of,” said Pack. “We knew if we could get things together for the season, we had a chance to really do something. And it worked out for us.”
ALL-AREA girls volleyball team
FIRST TEAM
Lauren Hogan, Shawnee, jr., middle hitter (5.0 kills per game, 3.7 digs, 5 aces)
Becka Peterson, West Liberty-Salem, sr., middle hitter: (4.5 kills, 3.1 digs, 2.0 blocks)
Megan Christmann, Tecumseh, jr., middle hitter (3.9 kills, 1.0 digs, 1.0 blocks)
Mary Hendricks, Urbana, sr, setter (9.6 assists, 3.1 digs, .9 aces)
Brittanee DeWine, Catholic Central, jr., middle hitter (4.1 kills, 4.0 digs, .6 blocks)
Becca Dewitt, Shawnee, sr., setter (10.1 assists, 2.8 digs, .8 aces)
SECOND TEAM
Leah Tobe, Greeneview, soph., middle hitter
Allyson Duncan, Catholic Central, fr., middle hitter
Sierra Moore, Urbana, sr., middle hitter
Kelsey Funderburgh, Triad, jr. outside hitter
Chelsey Davis, Tecumseh, sr., outside hitter
Taylor Perry, Southeastern, jr., setter
SPECIAL MENTION
Courtney Dingledine, Mechanicsburg, sr., libero
Emily Sheridan, Cedarville, sr., middle hitter
McKenzie Shore, Northeastern, soph., middle hitter
Kaley Moss, Urbana, sr., outside hitter
Rachel Loffing, West-Liberty-Salem, soph., middle hitter
Janie Kaffenbarger, Northwestern, sr., outside hitter
HONORABLE MENTION
Kylie Randolph, Graham, sr., outside hitter
Sarah Pridemore, Greenon, sr., libero
Alison Lohnes, Catholic Central, sr., libero
Alex Elam, Springfield, sr., setter
Allsion Fulk, Kenton Ridge, sr., outside hitter
Breanna Coffman, Emmanuel Christian, sr., middle hitter
Player of the Year: Lauren Hogan, Shawnee
Coach of the Year: Chuck Pack, Urbana
ALL-CLARK COUNTY girls volleyball team
FIRST TEAM
Lauren Hogan, Shawnee, jr., middle hitter
Becca Dewitt, Shawnee, sr., setter
Megan Christmann, Tecumseh, jr., middle hitter
Brittanee DeWine, Catholic Central, jr., middle hitter
Allyson Duncan, Catholic Central, fresh., middle hitter
Chelsey Davis, Tecumseh, sr., outside hitter
SECOND TEAM
McKenzie Shore, Northeastern, soph., middle hitter
Taylor Perry, Southeastern, jr., setter
Janie Kaffenbarger, Northwestern, sr., outside hitter
Alex Elam, Springfield, sr., setter
Allsion Fulk, Kenton Ridge, sr., outside hitter
Alison Lohnes, Catholic Central, sr., libero
SPECIAL MENTION
Sarah Pridemore, Greenon, sr., libero
Breanna Coffman, Emmanuel Christian, sr., middle hitter
Alli Collins, Tecumseh, sr., setter
Jordan Dockter, Shawnee, jr., middle hitter
Mona Ratliff, Southeastern, jr., middle hitter
Destiny McMurtry, Northwestern, jr., middle hitter
Player of the Year: Lauren Hogan, Shawnee
Coach of the Year: Michelle Smith, Tecumseh
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