South Range volleyball team wins district

By Tim cleveland

sports @vindy.com

SALEM

After dropping the first two games of the Division III district championship Wednesday night to South Range, the Cardinal Mooney volleyball team fought and scratched and did everything it could to avoid being swept.

After taking a lead and seeming well on its way to winning Game 3, Mooney lost its advantage and the match, 25-16, 25-14, 27-25.

It was the second consecutive Salem district title for the Raiders.

“Mooney was fighting and they were giving us a good game, which is what we wanted,” South Range coach Rachell Storm-Baker said. “We don’t want it handed to us; we want to earn it and I believe we did that.”

Mooney coach Tony Gorvet said his team played hard, but too many mistakes doomed their chances.

“I knew we wouldn’t quit,” he said. “(South Range is) a good team; they came out; they played better than us tonight. We didn’t play our best game. Don’t take nothing away from South Range. I wish them all the best in the regional. They’ll represent us well; they’re well coached.”

The Cardinals (21-4), the second seed in the district, took a 24-19 lead in the final game. Nichole Webber had three kills as Mooney started strong.

“I thought if we could get over that third game, we might be able to make a run at them, but they weathered the storm, they came back and beat us,” Gorvet said. “We made some unforced errors; we hit the ball in the net a few times. That was the story all night long. They put pressure on us. Our passing wasn’t too good.”

After winning a point to pull within four, top-seeded South Range (23-2) turned to Jordan Youngs and Lynnie Ritter. Youngs served four consecutive points, with Ritter having a kill, a block and a smash that went off Mooney’s hands and out of bounds. The outburst brought the Raiders level at 24.

“We’ve been practicing serving every day in the gym before practices,” Youngs said. “It’s one of the things we really focus on. We know that’s what really gets us ahead. It’s an honor to help my team any way I can. I love it.”

“Jordan’s a phenomenal, focused player,” Storm-Baker said. “I had absolute no doubt she could get us back up to 24. She’s a junior but since she came in as a freshman, she’s played like a senior every year.”

Youngs sent her next serve long to give Mooney a game point. Ritter had another huge kill to tie it up again, then Webber sent a shot into the net to put South Range one point from the district title.

“I really jumped today and our setter’s Madison’s (Juillerat) sets were on point like she always has,” Ritter said. “There were just in the right spot. We strategized where to hit them and I got them there.”

With Emily Moretti serving, the teams went back and forth with a long rally as they had done throughout the third game. With victory hanging in the balance, the 6-foot-1 Ritter smashed down the biggest kill of her varsity career for the winner.

“Lynnie dominates the net,” Storm-Baker said. “She gets up, she swings well; she’s intense; she’s a very strong player. She steps up when we need her.”

With 10 juniors and two sophomores on this year’s team, Gorvet said he’s very optimistic about the team he will have back in 2014.

“I have no seniors,” he said. “The greatest thing is I have my whole team coming back next year. Hopefully we don’t have this same feeling next year.”

South Range advances to the regional semifinal, which will be at Barberton Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Raiders advanced to that round a year ago before losing.

“It’s something we wanted; it’s something that our goal was,” Storm-Baker said. “It’s an opportunity to go back there that I know the girls are all thrilled about. It’s a result of a year’s hard work since we were there last.”