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Hoban’s height just too much for Hubbard volleyball team
STOW
You can’t teach height, and the Hubbard High School volleyball team quickly learned that in Wednesday’s Division II regional semifinal at Stow-Munroe Falls High School.
The Eagles were out-matched and out-sized by Akron Archbishop Hoban and were ultimately ousted from the tournament in straight sets, 27-25, 25-17, 25-18.
“That’s probably the biggest team we played all year,” Hubbard coach Jeremy Porter said. “They’re very, very talented, but any team at this point is going to be talented.”
Hoban’s height advantage was visible from the start. So to counter that, Hubbard tried tipping the ball over the Knights’ tall blockers at the net instead of hitting it right into them.
That worked for most of the opening game, but once Hoban made the necessary adjustments, points came at a premium for Hubbard.
The Eagles (19-6) took their first lead of the match at 20-19 in the first game. But after a slew of unforced errors by both sides, the Knights (14-12) were able to string together a pair of points to win the opening game.
“Our heads got the best of us in the first game, definitely,” Eagles senior Kiana Martinez said. “We missed five serves — that’s not us.”
In the second and third games, Hoban imposed its will and won each fairly convincingly. Hubbard held a 8-7 lead in the second game and never led in the third and final game.
When asked when he felt the momentum got away from his team, Porter let out a uneasy laugh before answering.
“In that first game I think we were up by a few points and made a huge comeback,” he said. “[Hoban] made a couple more plays than we did.”
That was the story of the match, as Hubbard could never rally together enough points to pressure Hoban into unforced errors like the Eagles were.
They also dug themselves into another 2-0 hole after the first two games like their district final against Crestwood. Unlike that result, however, the Eagles weren’t able to overcome the deficit.
“I believed, and the seniors believed, that we could do it again,” senior Effie Starheim said.
Ultimately, that belief was squashed in the form of a volleyball, that was spiked time and again into the hardwood by Hoban’s big hitters. The Knights hadn’t competed in a regional round in 22 years, but their play on the court told a different story.
Ashley Kazer had a team high 21 assists and 10 points, while also adding nine kills and eight digs. Alex Hall led the team in kills with 16 and added 14 digs.
“Our outsides were spectacular,” Hoban coach Corey Verchio said. “Each one of them almost had triple doubles.
“Again, we were able to hit balls, follow a scouting report — we weren’t necessarily trying to crush the balls 10 feet every time — and then just stay composed and disciplined.”
The Eagles’ leaders were Macey Sarisky with 14 kills and six digs, Caitlin O’Hara with six kills and three blocks and Martinez with 26 assists. All three are seniors.
“Basically, I told the underclassmen this year we got it this far — next year it’s going further,” Martinez said. “It’s their time to shine.”