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Canfield salutes senior volleyball players
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Senior members of the Canfield High School girls volleyball team were honored during Senior Night Oct. 4. Senior Lady Cards included, left to right, Ellie Rafoth, Abby Malsch, Sarah McGraw, Alyssa Rafoth, Mackenzie Vaclav, Hannah Milstead and Holly Rolla.
By ABBY SLANKER
The Canfield varsity volleyball team’s 2011 season is shaping up to be one of the best in school history. One of the biggest reasons is senior leadership.
In recognition of that, senior team members were honored during Senior Night Oct. 4 as the seniors and their parents were introduced to the crowd before the start of the varsity game against Howland.
Senior Lady Cards included co-captains Ellie Rafoth and Sarah McGraw, Alyssa Rafoth, Mackenzie Vaclav, Abby Malsch, Holly Rolla and Hannah Milstead. The varsity team is led by head coach Ronie Haurin.
“We have a tight team. They work hard together and are great leaders. They are a unique group of kids, with several having 4.0 grade averages. They worked hard in the off-season and we had a good summer camp. They set high goals and are working to achieve them. They want to make it to the district tournament and then to regionals and they are well on their way,” Haurin said.
Canfield is the No. 1 seed in Division II with a record of 19-1 as of Oct. 10 and finished out regular season play Oct. 13. As such, they have a bye for the first round of tournament play, which will begin Monday. The team will play the winner of Alliance and Cardinal Mooney at 6 p.m. Oct. 19 at Boardman High School.
“We have a great team and we all get along well and support each other and work well together,” McGraw said.
Ellie Rafoth echoed her teammate’s sentiments.
“It is fun to play together as a team. We’ve had a great season and we hope our season goes far into the future. We’ve all been friends for so long. Several of us have played together since eighth grade and it’s great to be able to finish our senior year together. For me, it’s been great to be able to play with my sisters and cousin,” Rafoth said.
McGraw, daughter of T.J and Wendy McGraw, has played volleyball for Canfield for six years and has a cumulative GPA of 4.0. Her favorite team memories are going to the lake, team dinners and lunches, dancing to 90s music and tie-dying.
She has played Junior Olympic volleyball for five years and will again this year. She played for the Thunder for one year and Infinity for four years.
Rafoth, daughter of Jim and Julie Rafoth, has also played volleyball for Canfield for six years and has a cumulative GPA of 3.8. Her favorite team memory is playing at Lakeview in 2010 and playing a great five-set match that helped the girls grow as a team. She has played Junior Olympic volleyball for five years as a member of Infinity.
Rafoth, daughter of John and Monica Rafoth, has played volleyball for Canfield for four years and has a cumulative GPA of 3.4. Her favorite team memories are going to the lake house and senior dinner at Sarah’s. She has played Junior Olympic volleyball for five years for Club Hollywood.
Milstead, daughter of Mark and Heidi Milstead, has played volleyball for Canfield for six years and has a cumulative GPA of 3.9. Her favorite team memories are lunches at Inner Circle, tie-dying parties, senior dinner and team sleepover. She plays Junior Olympic volleyball and is a member of the Infinity team.
Malsch, daughter of John and Jody Malsch, has played volleyball for Canfield for six years, and is a four-year varsity letter winner, with a cumulative GPA of 4.0. Her favorite team memory was the senior dinner. She has played Junior Olympic volleyball for five years and is a member of the Infinity team.
Rolla, daughter of Joe and Jodylynn Rolla, has played volleyball for Canfield for six years with a cumulative GPA of 3.2. Her favorite team memories are going to the lake house, match point camp and dancing to the 90s music warm-up CD. She has played Junior Olympic volleyball for the five years for Club Hollywood.
Vaclav, daughter of Doug and Cherie Vaclav, has played volleyball for Canfield for six years with a cumulative GPA of 3.5. Her favorite team memories are going to the lake house and dancing to the 90s music warm-up CD. She plays Junior Olympic volleyball and is a member of Club Hollywood.