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Lordstown’s Applegate reaches century mark in career

LORDSTOWN — When Kellee Applegate began her volleyball career as a Lordstown Red Devil, she never thought she would get to 1,000 kills or 1,000 of anything. Now she is within reach of 1,000 digs and has surpassed 1,000 career kills.

“I am massively proud of her on hitting 1,000 kills,” said Lordstown coach Jeanann Applegate, who also is Kellee’s mother. “She’s getting ready to hit 1,000 digs. I was pretty impressed with hitting 1,000 kills before 1,000 digs.”

She wouldn’t have gotten to that point without her setter, Jordan Beach, by her side the entire time.

“My main goal was to break records when I started playing,” Beach said. “I wanted the dig records and I got thrown into setting. Having her as the hitter makes it so much easier to always count on somebody to kill you a ball.”

Before Applegate was setting records, she never thought she could get to this point. She began her volleyball career as setter herself.

“When she came in as a freshman, I never thought about her hitting a ball. She was trained as a setter,” coach Applegate said. “A week or two into the season and she hits a ball and I gave her a look. We just completely changed her approach. I never thought she’d hit into 1,000. Only because she’s only been hitting for three years.”

Applegate broke the 1,000 mark for kills against Grand Valley High School on Sept. 12.

“She (Beach) helped me, our passers helped. It’s definitely not all me,” the younger Applegate said. “I certainly get blocked a lot as you can see. We have back row players that set Beach up which sets me up for the kill. It’s more of our setters and diggers.”

Kellee also said that playing a different position previously continues to help her in her role now. Just recently, Kellee broke her own school record for digs in a match with 38. The previous record was 36 which was set last season by her as well.

“I played in seventh grade and I told my mom (coach Applegate) that I did not want to play,” Kellee said. “I thought it was the dumbest sport. I thought it was so dumb. She told me just one year. I told her fine. After a year, I still didn’t like it. I was a setter so I was OK with that. I would’ve rather set than anything else.”

After her eighth grade year, her career path in volleyball changed completely.

“Going into freshman year, we had a great setter. I had started hitting the ball and she (coach) said that she wanted me to start hitting. I did OK that year but my sophomore year was when I broke some records.”

Last year, Applegate broke the school’s single-season kills record and single-game record.

“A few games into this season, I broke the career record and 1,000. I had no intentions of doing it,” Kellee said. “I didn’t think I would ever reach that. It’s pretty nice I guess.”

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