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LaBrae’s seniors take charge in volleyball win
LaBrae’s seniors take charge in win
By JIM FLICK
LEAVITTSBURG
After squandering an early lead, the LaBrae High volleyball team battled back to win the deciding fifth game and defeat the Lordstown squad Thursday.
LaBrae (10-2) won the match 25-22, 22-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-11.
“It was a game of ups and downs,” said LaBrae coach Alyse Consiglio. “I had some seniors who had to step up. They were up in the fifth game.”
“I have a very young team,” said Lordstown coach Pat Keney, “and we made some young team mistakes.”
LaBrae handily won the first game 25-14, with senior Courtney Aldridge slamming home the final point.
But in the second game, LaBrae and Lordstown (8-4) battled back and forth. After the game reached a 21-21 tie, the Blue Devils outscored the Vikings 4-1 down the stretch to win the game 25-22.
Lordstown took a 2-1 lead by winning the hotly contested third game 25-23. Sophomore Cierra Kitts served an ace to score the deciding point for Lordstown.
LaBrae stormed out to an early lead in the fourth game. With Aldridge serving, senior Olivia Wood slammed home a point to give the Vikings a 10-3 lead. LaBrae won the game 25-17 to tie the match at 2-2.
Lordstown took a 3-0 lead in the fifth game, but LaBrae fought back to tie the score 5-5 and won the game 15-11.
LaBrae Seniors Aldridge, Wood, and Lindsey Cerimele are the team’s key players, according to Consiglio. “They’ve been wonderful all year. I know I can trust them down the stretch.”
But Aldridge admitted the trio was also responsible for allowing Lordstown to take a 2-1 lead. “We were off-key for part of the match,” said Aldridge, “but we knew we had to push hard tonight.”
Aldridge added that the three seniors “work well together,” because they’ve been teammates since seventh grade.
Aldridge led the Vikings Thursday with 23 kills, while adding three blocks. Wood had 17 kills and 14 digs, while Cerimele served three aces and had 42 assists.
Junior Desarae Simmons was credited with 14 digs.
Lordstown had as many as three freshmen on the floor at LaBrae Thursday night, according to Keney. “They did what they had to do at crucial times, but we also made some mistakes.”
But playing the freshmen at key points in the game is necessary to prepare the team for the post-season tournament, the Lordstow coach added.
For Lordstown, senior Heather Darocha scored 14 points and was credited with eight aces, 14 digs, six kills and four blocks. Kaitlynne Cassidy, a junior, blocked 10 shots while scoring 11 points, four aces, eight digs, and nine kills.
Blue Devils freshman Sarah Cash was credited with 10 kills while scoring 11 points, and piling up six aces, six digs, and five blocks.