Zick plan produces title

BY JOBY FAWCETT
Times-Shamrock Writer

Lori Zick’s plan started four years ago. Once she got her players to believe in themselves it produced a district title.

Blue Ridge captured the District 2 Class A girls volleyball championship, its first since 2003, and because of that achievement, Zick has been chosen as The Times-Tribune Coach of the Year.

“She is an awesome coach,” All-Region outside hitter Megan Houlihan said. “She is really close to us and she is really a lot of fun. She is always cheering us on and never gets down on us.”

Taking over the program in 2011, the Lady Raiders had a record of 8-23 in her first two seasons.

But Zick began establishing the foundation by playing several freshmen and sophomores back then.

In 2013, Blue Ridge began to have success, reaching the District 2 Class A playoffs where it lost to Susquehanna in the semifinals and finished 11-8 overall.

This season, playing with more confidence, the Lady Raiders emerged as one of the top teams in the Lackawanna League.

By midseason, Blue Ridge gained a measure of revenge for an opening night loss to Abington Heights and earned the No. 1 seed for the District 2 Class A playoffs.

It defeated MMI Prep in three games in the semifinals and captured the title by beating Lackawanna Trail in four games.

“Our formula was a long time in the making,” Zick said. “This group of seniors was the first group that I started with four years ago. I have to give a lot of credit to these seniors who pulled these girls along, teaching them the work ethic and getting them to believe that we could beat the teams we were going to play.”

And once they believed, they won and earned a lot of postseason honors.

Houlihan was named to the Lackawanna League Coaches’ first-team all-star team, Chloe Randall, Katherine Kempa and Kristine Carlsen were second-team selections and Hayleigh Fekette and Kimberly Klim were honorable mention after a 15-6 overall season.

“We have tremendous kids at Blue Ridge,” Zick said. “I have been so lucky. They are polite, they listen and they do everything I ask them to do.”