{"id":209783,"date":"2026-09-07T20:44:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T01:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=209783"},"modified":"2026-09-07T20:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T01:44:11","slug":"lancers-enjoy-perfect-start-to-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2026\/09\/07\/lancers-enjoy-perfect-start-to-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Lancers enjoy perfect start to season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SCOTT TRUXELL\/<\/strong>independent sports<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven up and seven down \u2013 that best describes the start of Lincolnview\u2019s volleyball season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With victories over Elida, Delphos St. John\u2019s, Van Wert, Wayne Trace, Antwerp, Continental and Ottoville, the Lancers have raced out to a 7-0 record, making them the only undefeated team among Northwest Conference members. Even more impressive is the fact that Lincolnview hasn\u2019t dropped a single set this season, leading head coach JaNahn Evans (13th season, 168-105) to say preparation, experience and team bonding have been big factors in the fast start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t ever go into a match expecting a win, but I will make sure we are as prepared as we can possibly be when we step on the court,\u201d Evans said. \u201cI think our biggest strength right now is how well this team is playing together. They have really developed a strong bond and trust in one another and that has been huge for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Lincolnview’s Brooklyn Byrne (7) goes up for a kill during an early season match against Delphos St. John’s. Photo courtesy of Hanna Young<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThey are also doing a much better job of not getting hung up on mistakes,\u201d she added. \u201cErrors are going to happen in volleyball, but they are learning to play the next ball, and that has made a big difference in how we compete.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often times it\u2019s a senior-laden team that is a big factor and while the Lancers don\u2019t have many seniors, Evans said the ones they do have on the squad have indeed led the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur three seniors, Kara Suever (6-2 opposite hitter), Brooklyn Byrne (6-1 middle hitter) and Aubrey Miller (5-2 defensive specialist) have been huge leaders for us,\u201d Evans explained. \u201cKara and Brooklyn have been two of our leading hitters and have been big offensive and defensive weapons at the net. Aubrey has been an important part of our defense and brings a lot of experience and leadership to the court. Having those seniors leading this team has been really valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Underclassman on the team have also played a big role and Evans noted the Lancers have contributions coming from a lot of different players, which translates into not having to rely on just one player to win a match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnnabel Horstman (5-10 junior middle hitter) has also been one of our leading hitters and has been a big offensive and defensive weapon for us. Ansley Schwab (5-6 outside hitter) and Nora Linton (5-7 outside hitter) are both sophomores and are playing varsity for the first time, and they have really stepped up. They have become important contributors for us and are scoring a lot while also embracing everything that comes with playing at the varsity level. I have been really proud of how confidently they have stepped into those roles. Kara, Brooklyn, Annabel, Ansley, and Nora give us 5 strong attacking options at the net, and they have done a great job playing off of one another and creating different challenges for opposing defenses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

“Makynlee Dickinson (5-9 junior setter) runs our offense\u00a0and has done a great job finding the right matchups and giving our hitters good opportunities to score. She has done a great job distributing the ball and keeping our offense moving. Joey-Kate Carey runs our defense, and she is fearless in the back row. She is willing to go after everything, and that mentality is huge.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the season opener against Elida, Dickinson surpassed the 1,000 career assist mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like any coach, Evans noted that while she\u2019s pleased with what she\u2019s seen from her squad, there\u2019s always room for improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to continue minimizing our errors and becoming more efficient in every area of the game,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to continue getting better in serve and pass, defense and our offensive execution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Makynlee Dickinson surpassed 1,000 career assists in the season opener. Hanna Young photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThe biggest thing is consistency. We can make some really great plays, but we want to get to the point where we are making those plays consistently and putting ourselves in position to win more points. We have to continue learning from every match, cleaning up the little things and finding ways to maximize every opportunity we get. We\u2019ve had a good start, but a good start doesn\u2019t win you anything at the end of the season. We have to keep working and keep getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lincolnview\u2019s first seven matches were played in a span of just 13 days and the Lancers have been on a break since playing Ottoville on September 1. The main reason \u2013 the Van Wert County Fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is always a concern when you have a week without a match, but I also understand how important this week is to our athletes and our community,\u201d Evans said. \u201cThe Van Wert County Fair is a huge part of where we live. Many of our girls have 4-H and FFA projects that they have worked on for an entire year. Others are involved in cheer, band, Junior Fair Board, working at the fair, or other activities. For many of them, the fair is something they have been looking forward to all year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy own family shows at the fair, so I understand the amount of work, dedication, passion and love that goes into those projects,\u201d she continued. \u201cI want our athletes to know that we support them in those things. Balancing the fair and volleyball can be difficult, but I think it can absolutely be done with some support, communication, and grace. We still practice during the break, but this week also puts a little more responsibility on the athletes. They need to continue taking care of themselves like athletes: eating well, staying hydrated, getting enough sleep and taking care of their bodies. We want them to enjoy the fair and everything that comes with it, but we also need them to understand that we have a tough opponent waiting for us when we come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe play (at) Kalida right after the break (this Thursday) and they are a very good team, so we will need to get right back into game mode.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Kalida (4-1), the Lancers will travel to Shawnee on Saturday, then will open NWC play against a familiar foe — county rival and five-time defending NWC champion Crestview. The Lady Knights haven\u2019t lost a conference match since the 2021 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur schedule is challenging,\u201d Evans stated. \u201cWe play a lot of matches, sometimes multiple times in a week, which means there isn\u2019t always a lot of time in the gym between opponents. That creates a different kind of toughness because you have to be able to compete, recover and then turn around and do it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVolleyball is really strong all around us, and every opponent we play is going to bring their best,\u201d she added. \u201cWe want to set the tone from the start focusing on controlling what we can control and playing our game with confidence and consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last team to win a NWC volleyball title before Crestview \u2013 Lincolnview. The Lancers won outright championships in 2019 and 2020, and shared the title with Crestview and then-member Leipsic in 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SCOTT TRUXELL\/independent sports Seven up and seven down \u2013 that best describes the start of Lincolnview\u2019s volleyball season. With victories over Elida, Delphos St. John\u2019s, Van Wert, Wayne Trace, Antwerp, Continental and Ottoville, the Lancers have raced out to a 7-0 record, making them the only undefeated team among Northwest Conference members. Even more impressive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-209783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-16 05:49:01","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209783"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209789,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209783\/revisions\/209789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}