Sidney sophomore setter Alena Swearingen bumps during a Miami Valley League game against Xenia on Thursday at Sidney High School. Swearingen is one of three key returnees for Sidney, which beat Xenia 3-0.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY — Sidney is looking for a winning season with a youthful roster. The Yellow Jackets are off to a good start.
Sidney earned its third consecutive win by beating Xena 27-25, 25-19, 25-14 on Thursday in the newly renovated Sidney High School gymnasium.
The squad lost 2-0 to Indian Lake in a tri-match on Saturday but beat host Wapakoneta 2-1. The Yellow Jackets pulled out a 3-2 victory at Troy on Tuesday by winning the fifth set 15-13. Tuesday’s win was the program’s first against Troy since 2006.
“We’re starting to catch our rhythm. We’re playing a little bit more aggressive, not timid,” Sidney second-year coach Dexter Tobie said. “We have a solid core of girls. They believe in their skills. That’s the biggest thing we’re focusing on. Confidence, and being able to execute.
“We’ve had a couple of sets where we’ve come from behind, and we’ve come pretty far back. We keep our composure and figure out how to finish.”
The Yellow Jackets (3-1, 2-0 Miami Valley League Valley Division) have three key returnees in seniors Kyla Rush and Hailey Richardson and sophomore Alena Swearingen.
Rush, an outside hitter, led the team with 201 kills and 305 digs last year and had 44 aces.
“Her energy this year is very different,” Tobie said. “The team chemistry is really helping her out. She’s shining now. She’s going to do really good for us.”
Richardson, a right-side hitter and middle blocker, is playing a larger role on the front line this year. Swearingen returns as setter; she led the squad with 422 assists a year ago.
Also back is senior defensive specialist Kaelin Hickman. Sophomore outside hitter Kalesha Rush has also returned; she is unable to play due to injury but is expected to return later this season.
Among the newcomers is junior outside hitter Cynthia Davidson, who transferred from Anna. She had 11 kills against both Indian Lake and Wapakoneta in a tri-match on Saturday.
“Cynthia has been amazing,” Tobie said. “She is very confident and a very positive leader. She has stepped up, and the girls have really taken to her.”
Junior defensive specialist/libero Maggie Turner has led the team in digs. Other key newcomers include junior right-side hitter Kaitlyn Adams and sophomore middle blocker Sophia Bosslet.
“Sophia has stepped up well to earn a middle position,” Tobie said. “Maggie is aggressive and goes for every ball.
“Altogether, we’ve really stepped up our game. We’re still getting used to some new kinks, getting used to new passers.”
The Yellow Jackets finished 12-12 last year in Tobie’s first season; it was the program’s first .500 finish since 2019.
The goal is a better record this year, but Tobie said continual improvement will be needed in order to accomplish it.
“We have to be more aggressive, not play timid and play to our tempo, not the tempo of the opposing team,” Tobie said. “A lot of teams tend to do that, play to the level of your opponent. I think if we increase our tempo and we increase our style of play, we’ll be better.
“Our serving needs to be a little bit better. The first set today, we had too many missed serves and we put ourselves in a hole. Being more aggressive in our serving, and tweaking our defense to be a little bit faster will also (be things to work on).”
Sidney has a busy week ahead. The Yellow Jackets are scheduled to host Minster for a nonconference match on Saturday and will travel to West Carrollton and Stebbins on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, for MVL matches before hosting Fairborn this Thursday.
Reach Bryant Billing at 937-538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.
