Five seniors have been ‘a gift’ to Badin volleyball

Talk to the five seniors in the Badin High School girls volleyball program for a bit, and the word “love” is likely to come up — love of the game, love of the program, love of playing together.

It’s a dynamic that will take the Rams (15-8) to their fourth consecutive Division III district championship match against Versailles (19-5) — ranked No. 9 in the Ohio coaches poll — at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Northmont.

“It’s been a joy to be around these girls,” said coach Amy Horsley, who took over a program that had won just 10 matches in two years prior to the 2013 season. “They aren’t just good volleyball players, but good people too. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Seniors Emma Horsley, Danielle Pate, Karley Schlensker and Ally Unger played on a freshman team that went 15-2, then added libero Meg McDulin from Houston, Texas, to the mix a year ago, and those five starters have collectively put Badin volleyball on the map.

“I think we just have a lot of good girls in the program,” Emma Horsley said. “We have a very tight bond with everyone. We have a good coaching staff too. You put all of that together and it works.”

“We’ve really grown together as a team,” Schlensker added. “We communicate well on the court, we’re more mature than we’ve been, and we play our best when it really counts.”

It certainly counted when the Rams found themselves trailing Clermont Northeastern 2-1 in the sectional finals despite having won the opener 25-6. Badin won the last two games 25-22 and 15-7.

“We just took a deep breath and said, ‘Let’s go back out there and do what we know we can do, do what we love to do, and keep playing volleyball,’ ” Pate said. “We’re a very resilient team. We play well under pressure.”

While reaching the district finals for the fourth straight season — the Rams bowed to Miami East each of the last three years — Badin also put together its first winning regular season of the four this year, finishing 12-8 before the three sectional tournament victories over Summit Country Day, Madeira and CNE.

After not having a freshman team two years ago, Horsley actually had to cut 11 players this season — never something a coach likes to do, but an indicator of how far the program has come under her watch.

“I think the girls should be proud of themselves and proud of the game they play,” Horsley said. “Success is a by-product of their effort. They’ve shown so much dedication. They’ve earned a lot of respect for Badin volleyball. You can tell their closeness on and off the court.”

There are plenty of personal connections too as Horsley is coaching her daughter, Emma, and assistant coach Ashley McKinney is coaching her sister, Ally Unger. Assistant coach Rob Long is back from a stint as the head coach at Lakota East — he was an assistant at Badin 15 years ago when his wife Becky, now the freshman religion teacher at BHS, was the head coach of the Rams.

“I love it,” Emma Horsley said of playing for her mother. “We have the same view of volleyball. I know I have to work a little harder so that people don’t say that I’m just playing because my mom is coaching, but it’s OK. And now that my sister (freshman Audrey) is a part of the program, that’s awesome. It’s a family affair.”

Amy Horsley called it a “blessing” to coach her daughter, adding, “I just have to try to remember to leave the coach in the gym. When we get in the car, let’s talk about mom and daughter stuff, not volleyball stuff.”

In fact, Emma Horsley just committed over the weekend to play volleyball at Muskingum University. Schlensker will play college volleyball as well, and Unger and McDulin are weighing their options.

Unger was watching from the stands the last time Badin reached the regionals in 2005. Sister Ashley was a freshman serving specialist in a 3-2 semifinal setback to Bloom-Carroll.

“I remember going to every game, I remember every team picture (that Ashley was in),” she said. “I couldn’t wait to be on the court myself — and now I can’t believe that I’m a senior and it’s actually happened.”

The Rams are poised for continued success, with key front-row members of the current rotation — juniors Lizzie Kolde and Darby Oliver and sophomore Sami Raley — to be joined by varsity sophs Grace Larkin, Colleen Schindler, Amanda Stevenson and more in the coming seasons.

“We don’t want this to be our last game,” McDulin said of Saturday’s district final. “We want to do whatever we have to do to keep moving on.”

“This has been awesome,” Unger said. “The amount of progress that we have experienced together — it’s been a great ride. I don’t want it to end.”

“The girls savor every practice,” Amy Horsley said. “They know it’s not going to be easy, but they know it means they get to be together and they enjoy that.

“Learn it, live it, believe it, model it,” she added of what the five seniors have offered to Badin volleyball. “That’s what they’re about. That’s their gift to the program.”

About the Author