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Cardinals dominate Falcons in three-game sweep
By Greg Gulas
CANFIELD
Canfield volleyball coach Maria Householder says her team is at its best when her players are having fun.
The Cardinals had a blast Tuesday night against All-American Conference, Red Division foe Austintown Fitch at James W. Watkins Gymnasium,
Canfield defeated the Falcons, 3-0, for its third consecutive win since suffering its only setback of the season at Lakeview, the team that sits atop the division standings.
Maddy Johns had 12 kills and five blocks while Morgan Leonard added 11 kills and two aces to lead the Cardinals.
“The loss last week against Lakeview is in the past, but it was a learning experience for everyone. We’re now back to playing like we did the first nine games of the season,” Johns said. “There was a lot of energy on both sides of the net tonight with the teams playing three very intense games. Fitch has a tall blocker and they were putting up a triple block in the middle, which was very hard to get around.”
With the opening game knotted at 12, five points by Jessica Meissner staked the Cardinals (12-1, 6-1) to a 17-12 advantage as Canfield posted a 25-19 victory.
Meissner finished with seven points in the game.
The Falcons (6-7, 2-5) held a slim 14-13 lead in the second game, but five points by Emma Hartshorn and three more by Leonard propelled a 9-1 Canfield run as the Cardinals posted a 25-17 victory.
Leonard suffered a torn meniscus, ACL and MCL in last year’s final match. Coming back and being a key part of the Cardinals’ quick start has been most refreshing.
“It took a lot of hard work in the off-season, but it’s paying off now. I cannot be more thankful to have such great teammates and a group that has been with me all along during those tough times,” Leonard said. “This is a great group of girls as everyone has stepped up. Right now, we’re playing our best volleyball while still improving.”
In the nightcap, Canfield raced to a 15-3 advantage on its way to a 25-6 victory and their 10th sweep of the season.
With three wins, the Cardinals improved to 34-5 in 39 games this season.
“After that loss at Lakeview we had a big discussion about having fun. We became more concerned about what the other team was doing,” Canfield head coach Maria Householder said. “Now, we block out what the other team is doing and just play the ball. We knew coming into the game that Austintown Fitch had some very talented players and while we wanted to adjust to them, we also wanted to keep the focus on what we do.”
Falcons head coach Steve Mohr, whose team entered the game having won four of their last five contests, said his team played with tremendous intensity.
“We played with a lot of heart tonight and had some block touches that just wouldn’t fall,” he said. “Maddy Johns is one of the very best middles in the conference. She’s a great hitter and while we had blocks on her, she was able to put them down.”
Jenna Varley added nine kills, Meissner 14 digs, Emma Hartshorn 35 assists and Morgan Cleevely three aces for Canfield.
The Falcons’ Sarah Obradovich registered eight kills and three blocks and Cami Hefner added three blocks. Keara Katcher registered 14 digs, Bree Hunter added 10 assists and Alyssa Kovacs had six points.