Led by Holthaus, Aces grab share of MSL-Ohio title
Granville senior volleyball player Logan Holthaus is one of those types of players who lead by example.
When she steps onto the court, it is clear who the Blue Aces' leader is, not only by the way she plays -- with her aggressive kills or digging out balls to keep things alive -- but when things aren't going well, she is the one who speaks up and gets the team refocused.
"I like being the leader, but the rest of the team has really stepped up to the plate, and they deserve a lot of credit," Holthaus said. "The key for any successful team is to work together and do your job."
The Blue Aces (18-4, 12-2) did their jobs in the first round of Mid-State League-Ohio Division play by going unbeaten, but Granville lost twice in the second round, falling at Lakewood and at home against Licking Valley.
Suddenly, Granville was on the outside looking in as far being in first place in the league. But the Blue Aces kept fighting and came back to win after each league loss.
It paid off when Newark Catholic defeated Licking Valley on the last night of league play. That allowed the Blue Aces to share the league championship with the Panthers.
"It was tough losing those two games in the league, but we knew we just had to keep fighting," Holthaus said. "It was very important for everyone to have the mentality that we had to keep fighting because we still had (league) games left.
"Regardless of what happened in the league, we just wanted to keep improving because we knew we still had the tournament to play in. We just had to wash away those losses and move forward."
Granville coach Susie Harrison said the seniors --Holthaus, Kiera Kratoville, Maddie Lovern, Taylor Tackett and Remington Yokoyama -- played a vital role in keeping the Blue Aces focused on the task at hand after the two league losses.
"We did a great job of fighting back after those losses, and the seniors deserve a lot of credit for that," Harrison said. "They have all played together since seventh grade, and they know what it takes to win.
"They've taken the younger girls under their wings and encouraged them and let them know what it takes to win. They just did a good job of helping us rebound."
Holthaus, who plays volleyball year round, verbally committed to play at Cleveland State back in March and will sign a letter of intent in November to play for the Vikings.
She is looking forward to playing in college, but her focus right now is leading the Blue Aces to a deep tournament run.
"I was looking at schools in the south and Indiana, but I chose Cleveland State because it's closer to home, plus the team seemed like one big family, which is what I was looking for," said Holthaus, who started playing club volleyball when she played on a 16-under team when she was 13. "I can't wait to play in college, but right now, we know we have to keep improving and keep progressing so we can do well in the tournament."
Granville was scheduled to play Columbus East Oct. 16 in a Division II sectional tournament game, and if the Blue Aces win, they would advance to play at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Pickerington North.