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Mooney volleyball hands Western Reserve first loss
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Western Reserve’s Marissa Phillps (23) tries to block a shot by Cardinal Mooney’s Jaclyn Yankle during Monday’s match at Western Reserve High School in Berlin Center.
By Tom Williams
BERLIN CENTER
In order to avoid a second loss in three days, the Cardinal Mooney High volleyball team knew it had to negate the power-stroke of Western Reserve’s big hitters, particularly Aleah Hughes.
Stepping up to the net and the challenge were Cardinals Nichole Webber, McKenzie Reese, Gina Patella and Autumn DeSantis.
“Our front row blocking was the difference in the game,” Mooney coach Tony Gorvet said after the Cardinals (11-1) defeated the Blue Devils (11-1) by scores of 25-21, 21-25, 25-18 and 25-9.
“She’s a big hitter, probably one of the strongest in the area,” Gorvet said of Hughes. “We know we have to block her and our girls rose to the occasion. They are tough kids.”
Monday’s match snapped Western Reserve’s 11-game winning streak. The Blue Devils’ last loss was last fall against St. Thomas Aquinas in the Division IV district final at Lisbon High School.
“They learn to be resilient,” Western Reserve coach Jennifer Paris said of the rare loss. “They have to [be able to] bounce back.”
That’s what the Cardinals did after they lost on Saturday to Perry at the Hubbard Classic.
“I think it was good for us,” said Reese who made 12 kills and 10 digs. “It brought us back down to earth and it woke us up that we can be beaten.”
Gorvet said Saturday’s tripleheader against Hubbard, Perry and Canton South “helped get us ready for today.
“It made us [raise] our level of play,” Gorvet said.
Mooney also is working hard to return to the Div. III district final at Salem High School. Last year, the Cardinals lost to South Range in the title game.
Asked to weigh the merits of a block, Reese said, “It shuts down the hitters. If you just get into their heads, block them a couple of time, then they don’t know what to do with the ball.”
The Cardinals are ranked 19th in this week’s coaches poll of state Div. III teams. They Blue Devils are 10th in Div. IV.
After splitting the first two games, the Cardinals took charge by dominating the net.
Webber made 10 kills and five blocks. DeSantis also made five blocks, frustrating Hughes and Rachel Maslach.
“She’s a great hitter,” said Reese of Hughes, “and when you get a block, it just makes you feel like you’re on top of the world because she’s such an amazing hitter.”
Webber agreed.
“It just makes me push myself harder because I know if I don’t get a block, they’re going to kill it,” Webber said. “They are some of the best hitters I’ve seen this year [including] the JO [Junio Olympic] season.
“They are phenomenal hitters.”
Also for the Cardinals, Jaclyn Yankle made 14 kills and Gina Petella contributed 32 assists and 14 digs.
“This is a pretty big win for us,” Webber said. “They were undefeated and last year we [also] upset them when they were undefeated.”
Paris said that’s why the Blue Devils wanted this one badly.
“It’s almost become a rivalry [but] we haven’t beaten them since I’ve been here and these seniors have been here,” Paris said.
Hughes and Maslach each made 18 kills. Hughes also made eight digs and three blocks while Maslach scored seven points with two aces and made 11 digs. Alexis Hughes scored six points and made 12 digs.
Paris found a bright side to the snapped streak.
“This helps us prepare for tournament time because they are tough competition,” she said.