Opponents knew Amherst’s Nia Hall and Cecily Waynar would get their kills. But the Comets’ wild card was the supporting cast at the net.
Following a 3-2 comeback win against St. Joseph Academy in a Division I district final, Comets coach Felicia Sanchez said the supporting cast’s confidence is “through the roof” as they enter the regional tournament for the second straight year.
The Comets are in a Division I Norwalk Regional semifinal and will play eighth-seed Highland at 6 p.m., Nov. 3.
In the make-or-break moment, the players who typically deferred to Hall or Waynar demanded the ball at key moments and performed.
“For the first time (against St. Joe’s), those supporting role players were asking for the ball. Normally, they (differed) to Nia (Hall) and let her go to work. Now they (are asking for the ball),” said Sanchez. “The light finally clicked on. When they start demanding the ball, you knew something special (was about to happen).”
Their performance at the net stood out with Isabela Gotsis, who had 10 kills and four blocks against St. Joseph. Ava Darmos had three blocks with a kill. Freshman Mia Scanlon hit five kills and two blocks in four sets of play.
“We have been telling them that teams look at Nia (Hall) and Cecily (Waynar), but they don’t expect them to do anything. (Against St. Joe’s), they proved that they can and that they are a threat. You need to worry about them too,” said Amherst’s libero Lindsey McConihe.
A solid kill efficiency percentage would be about 30 percent, all of which Gotsis (45.5 percent), Darmos (37.5) and Scanlon (55.6) surpassed against the Jaguars.
Hall recognized the performance of her teammates and thinks the future of Amherst volleyball will be bright after she and the senior class leave.
“It was fun seeing (the younger players perform) as a senior watching them progress. Me leaving (next year), I know what they are going to have next year,” said Hall.
Building up to the game, Sanchez substituted in large numbers to see who could handle the moment. As the stage gets bigger, she reduced her lineup to about eight to nine in the rotation.
“All season, I have been running 14 or 15 people… I am shuttling them in like cattle just to get them experience. Once we get (deep into the tournament) I play eight. It comes down to people who can handle the (big stage),” said Sanchez.
The Hornets may not have been one of the favorite to win a district, but clawed their way through every playoff game to reach this moment.
They took 14th seed Brunswick and seventh seed Wooster to five sets that Highland came out victorious before they knocked off second seed Olmsted Falls in four sets for a district title.
Highland’s last loss was to Avon Lake in a quad match at Westlake on Sept. 24. They have won 11 games in a row with wins over Aurora and Austintown-Fitch.
The Hornets went undefeated in the American Division of the Suburban League. In matches that went to fifth sets, they hold an undefeated 6-0 record.
