Clermont Northeastern senior libero Carson Fishback reached a career milestone without even realizing it on Thursday, September 5.
Fishback recorded her 1,000th career dig early in the second set of CNE’s 3-0 win over Blanchester at home. Emma Keough, the Lady Rockets’ head coach, said she was aware of the milestone, and the fact that Fishback was not speaks to her unselfishness as a player.
“I had known about it for a while, and she had no clue,” Keough said. “It’s a pretty amazing thing, as a coach to coach a player of that caliber with that much talent. For her to achieve that, with her selflessness as a player, it was just genuine shock from her.”
Keough continued, noting Fishback’s focus on team results rather than individual glory.
“She’s a kid that has never one time asked about her stats,” Keough said. “She plays for her teammates, and she plays to win. She doesn’t care about individual honors, and that kind of made it that much sweeter.”
Fishback’s start at the varsity level wasn’t exactly a smooth one, according to Keough.
“She was a little shaky as a freshman,” Keough said. “I knew she had the talent and the athletic ability, but her volleyball technical skills weren’t sharp. I stuck her in as a freshman at libero, but she had a rocky start at the beginning.”
Fishback missed time earlier in the season due to an injury, but since her return, the Lady Rockets are undefeated in four matches.
The Blanchester match was the team’s second straight win with Fishback in the lineup following the injury. CNE won that contest 25-14, 25-12, 25-10.
“I think we played an amazing game,” Keough said. “I felt like the girls really stayed focused and took control of the match. I was really proud of the way they finished.”
The team’s next match was a five-set showdown with Reading. CNE won the first set 25-15, but dropped the second 25-18 and the third 25-23.
“It was a really intense match,” Keough said. “We took control early in the first set, then we kind of got into a lull. They came back, made the score a little closer. Then we dropped sets two and three.”
The team flipped the proverbial switch in the fourth set, winning 25-18. A 17-15 win in the fifth set sealed the victory.
“We just decided as a unit we needed to stick together, stay aggressive,” Keough said. “That’s how we were finding success, swing aggressively and recognize it might take five or six swings on any given rally to win the point.”
Fishback recorded 43 digs in the match against Reading. One day later, she and the Lady Rockets returned to the court with a three-set win over Bethel-Tate.
A match against the Williamsburg Lady Wildcats looms for CNE on Thursday, September 12. Victories in recent games could be key in the postseason, according to Keough. “Reading beat us last year in five, and that’s a team we could face in sectionals. I really stressed to the girls the importance of trying to win those matches. Reading is a solid program, to get a win against them is huge for our program.”
CNE is currently 5-0 in Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference National Division play. They’re slated to face Williamsburg at home September 12 at 6:30 p.m.