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Quakers ousted; coach ponders future
By Jim Flick
BOARDMAN
The Salem volleyball squad fought hard until the end, but lost the Division II district championship match on Thursday to Field High School.
Field (19-6) defeated Salem (18-7) in four close, hard-fought sets, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 25-20.
“It’s easy to be disappointed when you’ve played in the regional semifinals the last several years,” said Salem coach Don Conser.
But Conser was proud that his team fought its way to the district championship match despite losing seven seniors from the 2009 team.
The match could be Conser’s last. He earned his 600th victory as a coach in September, and says he is contemplating retirement. His decision in part depends on whether or not former assistant coach Michelle Pieniazek decides to return to coaching after giving birth to a child in August. He said he has not made a decision and may not for several months.
But if the match against Field will be his last, Conser said it will be a satisfactory end to his coaching career. “I thought we played well,” he said. “But Field has probably one of the biggest front lines we’ve seen all season.”
Field coach Brenda Ward said her squad is not only tall, but also dedicated. “This group is tall, they love volleyball and play in the offseason.”
“I know we have some heavy hitters in the front row,” Ward added. “We worked on blocking in practice this week, and they knew they had to push it tonight.”
The leaders for Salem included senior Mariah Halleck, who was credited with 15 kills, and junior Alexis Smith, who recorded 13 kills, two aces and two blocks. Laura Brown, a senior, earned 38 assists and three kills.
Junior Cassie Davidson was credited with 10 kills and four aces. Kaitlyn Stelts, a senior, served two aces and slammed home five kills. Becca Devlin, a junior made three blocks and two kills, while sophomore Samantha Reedy served two aces.
For Field, the tall front line was led by Hannah Mueller, who made 18 kills and seven blocks, and Emily Mortimer, who recorded 14 kills and four blocks.
The first two games were close, all the way through, although Salem trailed 15-7 in the opener before rallying.
In the third set, Field broke away from a 22-all tie to win, and in the finale, the Quakers led 6-1 before Field surged ahead for a 17-12 lead. The Quakers fought back, with Stelts serving an ace and Davidson and Halleck slamming home the ball. Salem came within a point, at 21-20. But Field scored the last five points to finish the match.