FORTVILLE — For Mt. Vernon’s head volleyball coach Eric Bulmahn, the foundation of a team’s success isn’t built upon an overwhelming offense. Nor is it built with a reliance on clutch plays, star-players or dead-ringers.
Successful teams know how to confound their opponent through efficient movement and communication, Bulmahn said. An unbreakable defense comes through learning how to coordinate as a team; learning how to make dozens of consecutive kills and long scoring streaks is something that can come later.
The Mt. Vernon Marauders, now 10-3, are pushing forward after suffering their first season loss against Yorktown last week after starting 10-0. The team is smaller in number and has less experience than ever before, but the strong connection their team is developing gives them potential to be one of the best teams Mt. Vernon has seen in years, Bulmahn said.
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Only a handful of varsity starters are juniors, and the team only has one senior, Brenna Perkins. But the team’s youth has actually assisted them in learning to act as a unit, junior Sophie Schultz said.
“I think part of our success is owed to us being such a young team,” Schultz said. We get along really well, and we bond well together.”
The girls make sure their teammates are also their friends, Schultz added. When they’re familiar with one another off the court, they’ll better understand how to read their teammates’ minds come game time, she said. This is a pretty useful trick for a team whose biggest strengths are coordinating good ball control and defensive tactics.
Cecilia Bulmahn and Delaney Bowser, both freshmen starters, have offensive and defensive skills far beyond their years in their first year of play, Eric Bulmahn said. Both have demonstrated wisdom in their play style, prioritizing good ball-handling and teamwork over overzealous attacking.
“It fits well with the mantra of our team,” Eric Bulhman said. “Becoming a better citizen, becoming a better team member, where you put the team ahead of yourself, that’s always got to come number one. As soon as somebody starts to struggle, concerned with their own game, the whole team starts to suffer.”
Bowser noted that in practice, there is little emphasis on individual performances. They’ve gotten progressively better at ensuring that their first contact with the ball sets the tone for the match; once they get into their rhythm and start sharing a mind on the court, it all seems to get easier, she said.
The tight-knit, good-humored company she shares with her teammates helps them all to de-stress a little, too.
“It’s definitely nerve-racking,” Bowser said with a smile. “But I’m getting used to it.”
Opponents watching the tapes to research Mt. Vernon’s performances will discover a team that is quite difficult to counter, Bulmahn said. While other teams will step onto the court anticipating a strong defensive team, they’re often caught off guard by the multitude of players who know how to strike from every position.
Victoria Bulhman, for example, is a setter who knows how to turn and hit, he said. She has 59 kills this year.
“It’s hard for other teams to scout, because we’ve got several players who can hit, and it’s always unexpected,” Eric Bulhman said.
They’ve got some aggressive servers as well, Bulhman added. They’ve already logged more aces this year than any other year prior.
Mt. Vernon is moving forward this week after fighting their way through Yorktown and Hamilton Southeastern last week, both teams that are ranked in the top five in the state. The Marauders are about a third of the way into a long season, and they will continue the tried and true training that’s given them strength this far, Bulmahn said.
They’re going to keep focusing on playing powerful defense, making smart hits and minimizing the errors that kill their shots.
But that can’t be accomplished by any individual player, and they know that, he said. That’s what’s pushed them to this point; they can’t afford to waver.
“Each player knows there’s a lot of pressure on them to deliver,” Bulmahn said. “And I think that’s what pushes them forward. They know they have to perform if they want to win.”
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What: Volleyball county rivalry match
Who: Mt. Vernon at Greenfield-Central
Where: Greenfield-Central High School
When: Tonight, JV at 6 p.m., varsity after
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