New volleyball coach hopes to bring winning ways to Hudson

by Dan Holland

For new Hudson High School girls volleyball head coach Mike Maurer, it’s all about building on the team’s experience and moving forward.

“I care about getting better and hitting our stride by the end of the season, so I want to be playing our best ball in the playoffs,” said Maurer. “I would love to win the conference, but it’s going to be tough. Wadsworth is going to be really deep this year, and North Royalton is returning almost everyone from last year. I’m just excited to go out and compete and see the girls go out and do battle. We’re really talented, but we need to believe it.”

Maurer hopes to improve on the team’s 7-17 overall record last season in which it went 5-9 in the Suburban League National Division – a fifth-place finish. The program lost a number of senior standouts from last year, but Maurer said there are a number of players he is counting on to step up.

“We have some big shoes to fill, but we have some great kids, and we’re really working hard,” he said.

Senior Sophia Skidmore, a Cleveland State University commit, along with 6-foot-1 Senior Sofija Drobnjak are expected to fill the void left by last year’s senior standouts Sydney Waller and Natalie Robinson, who both set new individual school records in volleyball.

“[Drobnjak] and [Skidmore] both played for the Cleveland Volleyball Club this year on one of their teams, and they played in Las Vegas in the nationals,” Maurer explained. “So, they both had a really intense club season this year, and they’re looking to bring that success into our high school season as well.”

Juniors Natalie Bright and Maddy Dearstein are also expected to step up this season, he added.

Maurer replaces head coach Brad DiSandis, who guided the team for the past eight seasons. Maurer previously coached volleyball at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights. Four of the five assistant coaches from that program followed Maurer to Hudson, including his wife, Nicolette.

“When I was at Hathaway Brown, I did a fair share of winning there,” said Maurer. “But we didn’t have a conference, so I’m really excited about this conference schedule. I’m excited about the rivalries, and those big games and trying to win a conference title. I think we’ll be competitive at the end.”

According to Maurer, six of the eight schools in the Suburban League National Division have new head volleyball coaches this year, with Twinsburg and Wadsworth being the exceptions.

“I expect us to compete in the Suburban League, and at a minimum, I would like to get back into the districts this year,” he said. “With the realignment this year, we’re now D-II; they went from four divisions to seven this year.”

“I would really just love to see the community support us and come to our games,” he added. “We’re going to put on a good show for them.” ∞

Photo: Fresh off a winning season at Hathaway Brown, Mike Maurer, the new girls volleyball coach at Hudson High School girls volleyball head coach, wants to fill the HHS stands as the team chases a conference title. Photo submitted.