Volleyball Inducts Inaugural Class into its Hall of Fame

On Thursday night, the volleyball team celebrated its 40 years of existence with its first class ever inducted into its newly created Hall of Fame. 

The first class welcomed four of the most instrumental players and coaches who have shaped the Bellbrook Volleyball program throughout its existence.

Kira Merkle, Jana Vest, Megan Smith and coach Jeanne Johnson were the four members who were inducted into the inaugural class. 

Kira Merkle, 2018

From 2014 to 2017, Merkle anchored a Golden Eagles team that captured four consecutive Southwestern Buckeye League (SWBL) championships. Her personal accolades at Bellbrook were unparalleled, including being named a three-time all-league selection, two-time SWBL Player of the Year, two-time all-district first-team choice, 2017 Southwest District Player of the Year, and 2017 2nd Team All-Ohio. She is in the top three of every hitting statistical category, first in career blocks, and second in career aces. Merkle served as a two-year team captain and MVP, leading Bellbrook to a top-five state ranking before continuing her legacy at Ferris State University. 

As a Bulldog, Merkle’s impact was immediate and enduring; she led the squad in total blocks as a freshman in 2019 while helping Ferris State to a sixth consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) championship. Her collegiate career solidified her standing as an elite talent, culminating in distinctions as the GLIAC Player of the Year and a multiple-time NCAA Division II All-American, marking one of the most distinguished athletic tenures in school history. 

Jana Vest, 2008

Jana Vest was a four-year varsity volleyball player at Bellbrook High School. From 2004 through 2007, Jana established herself as one of the most prolific defensive specialists in school history. Jana’s sophomore year is when the libero uniform entered the high school rules, and she is one of the best to wear the libero jersey, redefining defensive excellence across the SWBL. By the end of her senior season in 2007, Jana achieved monumental statistical feats, setting all-time school benchmarks including 475 single-season digs and 851 career digs, alongside a remarkable 29-dig single-match record, which just fell. These records only come from a combination of her junior and senior year, as records from before this time do not exist. Jana was SWBL all-league for three years, all-District for two years, and SWBL Player of the Year her senior year. 

Following her volleyball career at Bellbrook, Jana was also a basketball phenom. She held all-league and district honors her junior and senior year. She holds the Bellbrook basketball records for assists in a game, season, career and most games played. She continued her basketball career with two years at Sinclair Community College, where she led the nation in assists her freshman year, and then played two years at King College. She graduated magna cum laude in 2012 with a degree in business administration and is now a mother to four beautiful children. 

Megan Smith, 2007

Megan Smith was a four-year varsity volleyball player, outside hitter, and team captain at Bellbrook High School from 2003 to 2006. Known for her powerful hitting, competitive drive, and leadership, Smith helped lead the Golden Eagles to back-to-back SWBL Southwestern Division championships in 2005 and 2006, including an undefeated 10–0 conference season her senior year. During her Bellbrook career, Smith set a school single-season kills record and earned numerous honors, including two First Team All-SWBL selections, two Bellbrook Player of the Year awards, and Division II All-Ohio Honorable Mention recognition. 

She made school history as the first Bellbrook volleyball player to receive a full NCAA Division I athletic scholarship, beginning her collegiate career at the University of Maine. After two seasons at Maine, Smith transferred to High Point University, where she became one of the program’s leading offensive players. In 2010, she recorded a school-record 521 kills, earned First Team All-Big South honors, and helped lead the Panthers to their first Big South Conference Tournament Championship and NCAA Division I Tournament appearance. Smith delivered the match-winning kill in the championship victory over Liberty University. Over her two seasons at High Point, Smith totaled 908 kills and 18 double-doubles. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. Beyond her playing career, Smith has spent several years coaching volleyball in the Dayton area, sharing her passion for the sport with future generations. She currently works as a Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Coordinator at the Orthopaedic Institute of Dayton. Above all, Smith’s proudest accomplishment is being a mother to her daughter, Avery, who is the greatest joy of her life.

Jeanne Johnson, Coach, 1978

Jeanne Johnson is a pillar in the history of Bellbrook athletics, with a laundry list of accomplishments that are not even linked to volleyball. So let’s name a few: Bellbrook graduate in 1978, on the first girls basketball team at Bellbrook to go to state in 1976, obtained a D1 scholarship to Wright State University for basketball, where she is one of the few 1,000-point scorers; inducted into the Wright State Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the Bellbrook High School Hall of Fame, and now the Bellbrook Volleyball Hall of Fame. Between coaching volleyball, girl’s basketball, and cross country, she has obtained 19 SWBL titles and took her cross country team to state in 2011, 2016, 2017, and 2018. She obtained a plethora of SWBL Coach of the Year and District Coach of the Year awards, but her impact came when she changed the trajectory of Bellbrook volleyball. Johnson pioneered the Bellbrook Wee Eagle Program that still exists today. She had a vision and knew you didn’t build programs when they stepped in to high school. Programs are built in the 3rd grade. 

 

Former players said of Johnson:

• Jana Vest: “Mrs. J was truly the best coach I ever had. She was fair, competitive, caring, and intense and she made practices feel more like fun than work. She pushed me to be better while giving me the confidence to believe in myself when others didn’t. I attribute so much of my success to her and the impact she had on me, both as player and as a person.”

• Amanda Von Handorf: “She believed in me in all aspects, the game and in my life, always pushing me to be my best.”

• Megan Smith: “It is an honor to be part of the Bellbrook volleyball legacy that Coach Jeanne Johnson began in 1990. She was one of the best coaches I ever had, teaching me far more than volleyball. She instilled confidence, perseverance, and the importance of being part of something bigger than myself. She didn’t just build a successful program; she built a family. Seeing her legacy continue through her daughter and the incredible tradition they’ve created is truly special. I’m forever grateful to have been part of it.”

• Lynzee Allen: “Maybe I’m a bit biased because she’s my mom, but I was truly blessed to have her as my coach, not just on the volleyball court, but in life. I’ve strived to emulate her greatness for as long as I can remember, and having a front-row seat to her life has shaped every part of mine. She is the single greatest influence on the friend, wife, mother, and coach I am today.”

 

Johnson’s greatest achievement is her legacy, an impact that continues to be the driving force behind the Bellbrook Volleyball program today. She wasn’t just a coach; she was a mentor and a role model for the current Varsity coaches. She is the reason Von Handorf and Allen both stepped into coaching, following directly in her footsteps with the hope of influencing players the way she influenced them. 

Johnson showed them that coaching and motherhood don't compete; they go hand in hand. She taught them that doing what’s right is always the right decision, and that success comes to those who outwork their opponents every single day. Today, Jeanne is enjoying a well-deserved retirement from teaching and counseling; living her best life golfing, surrounding herself with family and friends in the community that raised her, and embracing her absolute favorite title: Nono to her three little besties, Lochlan, Lincoln, Lawson.