ICL VOLLEYBALL Western Reserve's bid for piece of title spoiled by South Range

Springfield clinched the league title as the Blue Devils were upset by the Raiders.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BERLIN CENTER -- The Western Reserve High volleyball team's chance to earn a share of the Inter-County League championship was ended by South Range in a five-set marathon Tuesday at the Blue Devils' gymnasium.
The Raiders (6-14, 5-4) handed Western Reserve a 25-17, 25-27, 25-23, 20-25, 15-12 setback, which eliminated the Blue Devils from the race.
Western Reserve (13-7, 6-3) defeated Springfield on Sept. 30 to give the Tigers their only league loss. However, Springfield (8-1) clinched the ICL title on Tuesday by defeating Mineral Ridge.
"This was a game of momentum," said South Range coach T.J. Irons after the two-hour contest. "We had [momentum] early, then we lost it, but we got it back when it counted at the end."
Miller is leader
Senior Pam Miller, who had 36 assists and was the Raiders' emotional leader, put the match away by scoring the final point of the contest.
Miller was all over the floor, making saves and setting up shots for all her hitters. She also kept the team in the match mentally with her leadership.
"Our girls never quit; Pam and our seniors wouldn't let them," Irons said. "There were a couple of times we could have folded and we didn't.
"I think our senior leadership really paid off."
The Raiders, who lost at home earlier this season to the Blue Devils, got off to a fast 10-3 start in the first game and went on to win 25-17.
Tara Chizmar, who paced the Raiders with 19 kills and 12 aces, was the catalyst in the opening contest.
The senior outside hitter helped South Range open a 19-9 lead in the second game, but the Devils rallied to win 27-25 to even the match at 1-1.
"Neither team could get much of a streak going," Western Reserve coach Julie Roussel said. "We had a lead in two of the games we lost, and I thought that was the key turning point for us."
Can't hold lead
Roussel was referring to the third game, when the Devils held a lead of 20-15 before bowing 25-23.
In the final game to 15 points, Western Reserve had leads of 10-7 and 12-10 only to have South Range score the final five points for the victory.
"This was as consistent a game as we have played all year," Irons said. "We did a good job of knowing what we wanted to do and getting the job done. Hopefully this points us in the right direction heading into the playoffs."
South Range also got strong efforts from Kaylin McCue, who had eight kills, five digs and four blocks. Annie Semko played outstanding in the fifth and deciding game for South Range.
Harmon sparkles
Katie Harmon led the Blue Devils with 22 points, 34 assists and 12 digs. Teammate Becky Kutsko had 16 points, 10 kills and 10 blocks, while Andrea Martin added 13 points, 16 digs and 10 kills. Tekla Toman chipped in with 11 kills and four points.
"Both teams played a very competitive game," Roussel said. "We made some mistakes that we couldn't recover from and that was the difference."