Hubbard ends skid by sweeping Howland

By Steve WILAJ

sports @vindy.com

HOWLAND

After starting the season 9-1, the Hubbard volleyball team hit a rough patch.

Entering Thursday’s matchup at Howland, the Eagles were losers of four of their past five matches, with the losses coming against some of the area’s other top teams: Salem, Canfield, Mooney and Perry.

However, that rough patch was no coincidence.

“We play one of the toughest schedules around to build for the playoffs,” Hubbard head coach Jeremy Porter said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but you have to do that to be ready at the end of the year.

“It was a tough stretch, but we played really hard. It wasn’t like we were getting beat by a lot. They were really close games and good matches.”

Against the Tigers, Hubbard looked like it learned from its recent struggles. Sweeping Howland, 3-0, the Eagles won handily — 25-13, 25-14 and 25-22 — to get back on the winning track.

“I think it was a really big win,” Hubbard senior Caitlin O’Hara said. “Losing all those games in a row, it meant a lot to come out and have a good game for the first time in a while.”

Hubbard (11-5, 7-2 All-American Conference, Red Division) played from ahead for almost the entire match. Macey Sarisky led the Eagles with 12 kills and four aces, O’Hara had four blocks and Emily Krinos tallied 27 assists and nine points.

“We kept a steady pace, our defense was really good and our sets were there,” said Eagles senior Kiana Martinez, who notched 14 digs and nine points. “It’s great that we could come back from that loss [to Canfield on Tuesday] and play as a team and not get down on ourselves. This was a team win.”

Howland (7-10, 0-6) was paced by Christian Carr’s 10 kills and eight digs. Alexis Miner also had 10 assists, while Cassie Murcko scored eight points and Caroline Hennerman had three blocks.

“We made too many errors for the scores to be any closer than they were,” Tigers coach Amanda Lingenfelter said. “There were a couple plays where we think the ball’s down, but they get it off the floor and convert it.

“Hubbard’s always tough. Defensively, they’re one of the strongest in the area.”

With just five regular-season matches remaining, the Eagles are excited to put that defense to the test in the postseason — especially now that they’ve endured their rough stretch in the schedule.

“It prepares us better for the games later on in the playoffs, which are obviously more important,” O’Hara said. “I honestly believe that we can go all the way. It’s just a matter of sticking together and playing like a team.”