‘Steady Eddie,’ Marvin Ridge’s Karsyn Baylog, is readers’ volleyball player of the year
Marvin Ridge High School volleyball player Karsyn Baylog, whom Charlotte Observer’s readers voted as region player of the year, made a big position change this fall. She went from being a setter to a six-position outside hitter.
That’s a little like playing point guard and then moving to center.
“It’s a tough transition,” said Ardrey Kell volleyball coach Zoe Bell, a former national high school coach of the year. “Not everybody can do that. But she’s one of those players that does everything. I would call her ‘Steady Eddie.’ She doesn’t make a ton of mistakes and she’s smart.
“She’s just the total package.”
Playing in her new role, Baylog led Marvin Ridge to a 34-4 record and an appearance in the N.C. 4A state championship game. She finished the season with 245 kills, 297 digs, 34 aces and 29 blocks. A first-team all-state and all-region pick, Baylog was also Southern Carolinas’ Conference player of the year.
After making the position switch, Baylog was second on the team in kills behind junior Natalie Unkrich, who had 326. And Observer readers selected Baylog as their choice for regional player of the year after a week-long vote among candidates submitted by schools.
The Observer will name its All-Observer team, with its choice for player and coach of the year, in December.
“She is a player that every coach adores because she can play almost every position successfully but most importantly she is a team player,” Mavericks coach Brook Hammers said. “When asked to change roles she never wavered, wasn’t hesitant. She embraced her role and thrived.”
Baylog, a 5-foot-10 senior, said she started playing volleyball after watching her sister, Reagan, play on a 2018 Mavericks team that won the state title.
“Looking up to my sister...made me get into the sport,” Karsyn Baylog said. “The atmosphere from when I started in seventh grade to now has made me a better person and player. The thrill and excitement of the game and the people I’m surrounded by has made me fall in love with this sport. Also using my sport (is) a way to escape reality and just enjoy the moment.”
Baylog said she doesn’t plan to play volleyball in college, but she said she’ll never forget the run her team went on this season to reach the state final.
“They key...was the bond between everyone,” she said. “Our coach continued to encourage us and allow us to grow into great people and players. Our team genuinely had great friendships that allowed us to play together on the court. (Senior outside hitter) Izzy Perkins was an amazing asset to the team and a very reliable player to be able to count on...I will forever remember playing with this team the most because we had a bond that could never be replicated.”
