Talawanda High School’s girls volleyball team is without a doubt one of the best in Ohio. As of Wednesday the Braves were undefeated at 17-0 overall, 11-0 in the Southwest Ohio Conference. THS is one of only two unbeaten teams in Division II, in which they are ranked No. 8 by the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association.

When first-year coach Ernie Gilbert was asked about how the team is able to sustain such success, he was very quick to answer.

“Quality players,” said Gilbert, who has been coaching for 40 years, including 26 in college, and who said he has one of the most talented squads he has seen in a long time, particularly his seniors.

“The seniors all feel invested in every game,” Gilbert said. “They are always concentrating on team goals, and we are really benefitting as a unit.”

One of the leading seniors is Rachel Vidourek. She is 6-foot-1, leads the team in total kills, kills per game, blocks and virtually every other statistical category and has committed to play at Marquette. And she’s not even playing her natural position.

“She is a setter playing a middle blocker, and she still puts up those amazing numbers,” he said, adding that in all of his years of coaching, “She is one of the top 10 players that I have ever seen or coached.”

The team underwent a coaching change after Tammi Waite stepped down after last season, when the team posted an astounding 22-3 record. Gilbert talked about the changes the team has made.

“We now run a 5-1 offense, where the setter is given the freedom to set either the front or the back row, creating more opportunities for kills,” Gilbert said, noting that the new system is run by junior setter Dana Lohrey, who leads the team in assists. “Dana runs the offense like a point guard runs a basketball squad. She dictates the point, and everyone has the chance to get involved in the offense.”

On the defensive side, THS use a style that Gilbert invented and which allows the Braves to adjust to the height of the opposing setter.

“With the new defense, opponents have to practice shots they are not necessarily comfortable with in order to beat us. Everyone is assigned a shot to hit depending on where it goes, so there is no confusion,” Gilbert said, adding with a laugh, “Coaches have told me the system won’t work, then we go out and beat them with it.

“The seniors were all successful last year, so it would have been easy for them to not accept the changes,” Gilbert said. “Instead, they were very receptive, and their belief in the coaching staff has made the team better.”