Fans at Bay got their money’s worth Sept. 5.
Bay and Westlake left it all out on the court. All four sets were determined by three points or less. At the end of the thrilling showcase, the Rockets came out with the win.
“It was intense,” Bay coach Katie Seal said. “My heart rate was really high when that happens, but I knew that it was going to be a battle, when both teams have a lot of firepower. We had to come out and play tough.”
Bay won, 25-22, 24-26, 28-26, 25-23, to improve to 4-1 (3-0 in GLC West). Westlake dropped to 6-1 (0-1 in GLC West).
“It’s always exciting to play Bay,” Westlake coach Meghan Spriggs said. “We know that it’s going to be that back-and-forth. It’s great to see good volleyball. They had some really good kids that can swing. We had some crucial points down the stretch. (Bay) capitalized on some crucial points that put them ahead.”
Bay’s system started off well to go on a 8-2 run in the first set. It went according to plan for the 1-0 lead. However, the Rockets failed to pull through in the second from a late Westlake comeback.
“It’s volleyball. A couple of points can make a turning point in the match wherever you are at,” Spriggs said. “I thought we did a really good job at the service line sometimes. We put (Bay) out of system, which allowed us to be more aggressive from the net standpoint. Two points could have gone either way from the second third and fourth sets.”
Demons outside hitter Olivia Mogyordy (19 kills) had four kills in the home stretch to even the score.
“(Mogyordy) is one of my two captains, along with Jenna Hyland, our libero,” Spriggs said. “Both of them do a phenomenal job and understanding that Olivia’s role is to terminate balls and get kills. She understands it and does a great job. She holds herself to a very high standard.”
According to Bay, communication was an underlying issue at that moment. Deja vu nearly happened again in the third set, but key kills from hitters Olivia Miller and Laura Fuehrer sealed the 2-1 advantage.
“We have a lot of seniors on the team and a lot of veterans that help keep the team calm in those instances,” Seal said. “Sometimes, I feel like if you have some underclassmen in those tough sets, they don’t have the confidence that our girls do. It doesn’t matter what the score is. They are trying to get our score up, whatever it is.”
The front row had a major impact in the match. Fuehrer recorded 14 kills herself. Miller recorded 12 kills, but outside hitter Sophie Thomas led the Rockets with 19 kills.
“We have worked a lot on sets, so that we are not setting the same person every time,” Seal said. “They are moving the ball around, and (the opponent) doesn’t know where our power is coming from.”
Setting was a big thing, coming into this season. Fuehrer believed the sets from Amelia Vecchio (22 assists) and Nina Peet is improving as the season comes along.
“Our sets were really good. Our sets were really on (point), and they made it easy to hit,” she said.
The front row’s defense was pivotal, as Fuehrer anchored the defense with nine blocks herself. The wall of Bay posed a tough challenge to go through or around.
“You want the ball and you do your best to get it as fast as you can,” Fuehrer said.
Westlake will have another huge GLC West challenge in its next match Sept. 7, as it hosts Rocky River, the defending GLC West champs. Bay will have Sept. 7 off, but it will return to action Sept. 9 to take on Perry and Streetsboro in a tri-match.
