Volleyball bonds Schlotterer family

NORWALK — A beach ball and a balloon. In retrospect, Rachel Schlotterer should have known. But she didn't envision that those two objects would lead to one of the greatest careers in the long and successful history of volleyball at Norwalk High School. "Every year it comes up on Facebook in her memories," NHS senior Lucy Schlotterer said. "There I am, three years old, in our living room and my mom is tossing me a beach ball and I was passing it like a volleyball. "Just looking back, it makes you think about how far I've come. And I give so much of this to my mom. She helped get me this far — and it all started with the beach ball." On Oct. 23, Lucy played her final high school match and helped the prestigious Norwalk program get back to its winning ways. On Nov. 3, the two-time SBC Lake Division Player of the Year was named to the All-Ohio team for the second straight year. And Lucy's mother, Rachel, was always nearby as an assistant coach. The former Rachel Helton was also a successful volleyball player at NHS before graduating in 2001— as a much shorter setter, not a 5-foot-10 power hitter like Lucy. "From the time that Lucy could basically walk, she was thinking about volleyball," Rachel said. "She would have a balloon in her hand and say 'volleyball.' We'd be at Valley Beach and she'd have a ball in her hand the whole time." Rachel was 24 when Lucy, 17, was born. She and husband, Josh, also are parents to younger sisters Lola, 14, and Laney, 13. "I feel like in a sense that we grew up together," Rachel said. "I was a young mom and obviously I love volleyball and played it my whole life. I wanted more than anything to have at least one daughter that loved it as much as me. We were like kids playing outside together." Bumps in the road If the idea of a volleyball-obsessed mom having a daughter follow in her footsteps sounds like a dream, it is often anything but that. Rachel began coaching her eldest at Ernsthausen Recreation Center in Norwalk. Young Lucy's skill set developed slowly but steadily. She would toss up the ball for a serve and let it drop 15 times before finally trying to hit the ball over the net. Rachel and Becca Wineman began coaching Lucy, best friend Mac Wineman, and their classmates. In Lucy's middle-school years, volleyball life in the Schlotterer family became more difficult. "It got hard then to separate the mom from the coach," Rachel said. "There were a lot of really hard practices, and Lucy would roll her eyes and talk back to me, and she'd have to run laps. "It got to the point where I didn't even have to say anything — she'd just put her head down and start running. So, getting to high school was nice so I could just kind of let [head] coach (Sarah) Kipp handle Lucy, and I was more than happy to work with others." Lucy was grateful for the change in roles as well. "Now we only argue about the stupid stuff like my hair or running late for school," she said. "We don't fight as much now. When she coached me in middle school, we'd get in arguments all the time and I'd run. We haven't had one of those blowups in a long time. "But she's been amazing, and I couldn't have asked for anything more from her. She's been there for me 100 percent of the time and has always been there to help and get me better." If only those were the toughest times. Josh Schlotterer is the athletic director at NHS. With Rachel on the bench and the Truckers amid a three-year stretch of losing seasons, the extra attention that sometimes came with the situation was difficult. "She was always going to have nay-sayers who were going to say she was getting these opportunities because of who her parents are," Rachel said. "We also stressed to her that who you surround yourself with is a target at your back. "We prepared her for that, and she's gotten her taste of it, but she has incredibly thick skin for a young teenage girl," she added. "With Lucy, it's in one ear and out the other. Work hard, be kind, and let your talent speak for itself. That will go a long way and people will stop talking." Acknowledging potential pitfalls, Lucy chose to focus on the positive. "I knew getting into high school and having my family in those positions could be difficult and hard at times, but it can also be cool and exciting," Lucy said. "I love going down to my dad's office and talking to him when I can. "I love talking to my mom after practice and when she comes in and she's interacting with all of us. It's cool to see them in that light." Tense moments sometimes occurred in matches. Kipp often looked at Rachel and Becca on the bench when Lucy, and Mac and Sawyer Wineman were on the floor. "I don't think Rachel or Becky have ever put me in a position to find it challenging," Kipp said. "They've always been an advocate for 'coach my kid.' They have probably said to me that I don't yell at our kids enough." Having some fun Lucy and Mac have always played on the same team, both at school and the club level. That meant many shared road trips and overnight stays in hotels with downtime between volleyball matches — which also meant teenage girls trying to kill the downtime. "We were at a tournament in Detroit last year, and Sawyer was with us, too," Mac said. "It was just the three of us, and Lucy prank-called my grandma and told her we were in jail, and that we couldn't reach our moms. She really bought that one. "We also loved wandering around the hotels and convention centers, like they are their own little adventures. But Lucy and I made a lot of prank calls to people we know … hopefully we still won't get in trouble for that." But the girls weren't always alone in goofing off. "Mac and I were probably 10 years old, and we were at a tournament in Columbus," Lucy said. "We were bored because we had a long layoff for, like, three hours. We took my sister's baby doll outside and we were walking outside with a bunch of people and would just drop it to see their reaction." What did Rachel think of the stunt? "She was a part of it," Lucy laughed. "She was guilty. We always found fun things to entertain ourselves during those long breaks in tournaments." Leaving a legacy After just 16 wins over their first two years at NHS, the senior trio of Lucy, Mac and Sammi Chappell helped create a huge return to the glory days. Norwalk was 19-7 last season with an SBC Lake and district championship for its 13th all-time regional appearance. This season, Norwalk was 20-4 with another league title — its 22nd all-time — to go with a district runner-up finish and a No. 10 ranking in the final Division III state coaches poll. Much of that success centered around Lucy, who earned her second straight All-Ohio award this week. After honorable-mention recognition last season, she is a second-team selection for 2024. She finished her career with 1,442 kills, including a season-high 455 in 2023, and will move on to play at NCAA Div. II Ashland University. She is the Norwalk program record holder for kills in a match (35), season and career. Rachel still ranks second in assists for a single-match (60), career (1,661), and eighth for a season (674). With her younger sisters on the way after much success at NMS, Lucy is hoping her last two seasons have helped start another long run for the program. "It means the world to me to be able to put more numbers on that banner," she said, referring to the Truckers' line of sports pennants on the NHS gym's south wall. "It's surreal to me to see how much the program improved during our four years. "I'm really happy to see where it's at. I'm confident it will continue to be like this for many, many years after me." At a practice prior to the tournament, Kipp was asked to describe Lucy as a player just as she ran over to Kipp's youngest daughter, Sophie, to take a bite of her sugar cookie. Seconds later, Lucy was back in line for a drill and offering words of encouragement. "It's that," Kipp said of the sequence. "It's hard not to look at her or Mac and not treat them like my own kids. Lucy as a player is confident. Sometimes too quiet … goofy. I think she's incredibly humble. "She's got a great game face, and that is what I think people see. She has learned over the years to be focused and dialed in, and it's both fun and serious." As her daughter's high school career has wound down, Rachel reflected on her relationship with Lucy. Her motherly intuition starts early every day. "I know by the way Lucy comes down the stairs in the morning whether or not I should say anything to her," Rachel said. "I can tell by her footsteps. We are similar, whether she wants to see that or not. We both like to have the last word, which is difficult sometimes. "As much as I want her to turn 'mom' off, it's hard for me to do it, too. It's gone both ways. It's very bittersweet that it's going to end, but it's just been a really, really fun ride." Lucy agrees on wanting the final say. "A lot of people say I'm just like her and that's why we have our disagreements," she added. "I think we've become really good friends and I think we understand each other. But I feel like just being with her all those weekends and her helping coach me has been one of the best things, and very inspiring."