Gaylord Volleyball opens 2022, Cornish’s coaching career with a win

GAYLORD — As the 2022 fall season kicks off around Michigan, every team is hoping to get off to a strong start. With weeks of preparation in the books, the first game is an opportunity for every team to start off with some extra momentum to start the new year.

For the Gaylord volleyball team, a strong start meant not only an opening day win over Ogemaw Heights on Wednesday, August 18, but it also meant starting Brittany Cornish’s varsity coaching career off strong as she got her first game under her belt as the Blue Devils head coach.

Well, they couldn’t have asked for a much stronger start then they got in game one.

Gaylord stormed passed Ogemaw Heights, winning in three sets, 25-16, 25-10 and 25-20 to start with a 1-0 record in the 2022 season.

“Our energy was incredible,” Cornish said. “We kept sending over complete plays and let them make the mistakes.”

Senior Leaders

The Blue Devils senior leaders are poised to be a big part of their team this season, and many of the opening game’s top efforts were from those seniors.

Abby Radulski led the team in kills, finishing with eight along with two aces and 10 digs, while Maddi Dipzinski led the team with 21 assists along with two kills of her own.

Other seniors also had standout efforts, including Alexis Kozlowski (10 digs, five kills), Meghan Keen (six kills, two blocks) and Hannah Fisher (seven digs, one ace).

“Super proud of my senior leadership,” said Cornish. “Super proud of my libero (Fisher), she didn’t let a single ball fall.”

Win No. 1

While starting the season with the win is great in its own right, getting your first win as a varsity coach at the same time makes it that much more special. And while it may have been her debut as the Blue Devils head coach, Cornish said it was a long time coming.

“I’ve dreamed about this since I was a little girl and it feels so good,” said Cornish, reflecting on the emotions of coaching her first game.