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Talented trio keys Hubbard
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Poland’s Aleah Hughes (18) shoots past Hubbard’s Maris Sarisky (11) and Caitlin O’Hara (25) during Thursday action at Poland.
SEE ALSO: Q&A with Hubbard's Brian Hoffman
By Brandon Judeh
Poland
It’s not often that a high school team, in any sport, has more than one or two standouts. This is not the case with the Hubbard High volleyball team.
The Eagles have three standouts, Marquette Gasser, Emily Perry and Maris Sarisky, and each brings a unique style of play to the court.
Gasser is the quarterback — she runs the offense like any good field general would.
“I trust her 100 percent; it’s great having a kid like that out on the court,” said head coach Jeremy Porter.
While Gasser, who is Hubbard’s all-time leader in assists, runs the court, Sarisky is her favorite target.
Porter describes Sarisky as his “go-to” girl and a person he can trust to lead the offense.
“She’s extremely intelligent and a great leader,” said Porter.
She also was an all-district player last season and will look to earn the honor for a second consecutive season.
With all of the Eagles’ offensive power there needs to be some sort of defense. That’s where Emily Perry comes in.
“Emily [Perry] is always hustling, she’s everywhere on the court,” said Porter. “I have seen her dive into the stands and even the scorers table to save a ball.”
All three of these girls are three-year starters and the pulse of Hubbard’s recent success. But all of them have one thing in mind — a district title.
“Of course the ultimate goal is a state title, but our short-term goal is a district championship,” said Sarisky.
Perhaps Hubbard has an edge over the competition thanks to its experience.
The Eagles have two other seniors with plenty of experience, Megan DeMaiolo and Morgan Lopuchovsky.
“We have so much depth and experience and I think that all of the game experience we have will come in handy during those clutch moments we encounter in the tournament,” Gasser said.
Hubbard, as well as other teams in the district, knows the road to regionals runs through Canfield. The defending division II district champions are a team that has been a thorn in the Eagles side.
“We definitely want another shot at Canfield in the district finals; they are a great team and I think it’s going to come down to the two of us,” added Perry.
The Eagles split the season series with the Cardinals, with Hubbard winning the non-conference match and Canfield taking the All-American Conference battle.
No matter what happens, Perry says her time at the varsity level has been a blast, and it is something she will never forget.
“It’s been fun, we have had a lot of success, and when the season’s over, I am really going to miss my teammates, but I know we will always stay in touch,” she said.
Thursday night, Hubbard continued its march toward the playoffs as it defeated Poland in straight sets, 25-9, 25-13 and 25-14.
Leading the way for Hubbard were Gasser (38 assists), Perry (eight digs and two aces) and Sarisky (eight kills and eight digs).
Seniors Abbey Jones (five kills) and Kayla Smith (16 assists) led Poland.