The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Vermilion turns back Panthers squad
Quick start helps Sailors get nonconference win
Vermilion traveled to Elyria Catholic Aug. 27 knowing it was in for a test, but neither team could have predicted how hard the winner would have to fight.
The Sailors battled to a 3-1 win over Elyria Catholic, earning every single point the hard way as neither team was ready to let up.
“We’ve had competition with them before, they’re a great team, honestly. I think that even though they’re such a good team we knew it was going to be a big fight,” junior Reese Virgin said. “We walked in here and we knew we had to do our job.”
After the Panthers tied the first set, 23-23, Vermilion came back to score two in a row, securing the first-set victory off a Taylor Hollis kill from outside that left no doubt the Sailors had come to play.
“I think that really pumped us up,” Hollis said of the first set. “We used to have a problem with starting off very weak and slow, but this season we’ve picked up our game and start off really fast ... we just go for it.”
Elyria Catholic jumped out to an 18-13 lead in the second set and eventually took its only win of the day, 26-24.
The Sailors won two straight sets to earn their second win of the season, but coach Bob Eis
Eis said his team still has a long way to go.
“I think we have to, as a team, adjust from team to team, game to game, and that will come,” Eis said. “I think that will come as we play a couple more matches and start getting into a routine.
“It’s still early in the year and we’re just trying to work out some things. … We have 22 matches and 20 more to go, so we just trying to work on some stuff.”
Virgin finished with 22 kills, while Hollis added 13 kills and four aces, but it was the play of setter Maddie Nader that Eis said made the difference.
“If we don’t have Maddie Nader in there, Reese and Taylor don’t get the numbers that they do,” Eis said. “She makes a lot of things happen, she makes a lot of things look easy out of plays that I think a lot of setters can’t do.”
Virgin agreed, praising Nader for her success in the match.
“I can’t do it without our passers, and especially our setter Maddie. She runs all over the court and gets every ball up.”
Elyria Catholic coach Barb Schuckman said she’s proud of how her team fought, considering the players are relatively new to each other.
“The girls played very hard. We serve-received very well, our defense picked it up when they needed to pick it up, but Vermilion’s a good team,” Schuckman said.
“We’re working together, we’re communicating more. It’s only the third game of the season so we’re getting much better.”
The Panthers move to 1-2 and will host Bay in a Great Lakes Conference game on Aug. 30, while Vermilion (2-0) travels to Fairview Aug. 29.