VIRGINIA—A year ago, the Esko High School volleyball team came to face off with Rock Ridge and blasted the Wolverines in three straight games.
This year was a different story.
Esko did win the first two games of the match but Rock Ridge won games three and four and forced the match into a game five.
Esko escaped with a 15-13 win in the final game to clinch the match, 3-2 (27-25, 25-22, 19-25, 23-25, 15-13) but the Wolverines had a reason to be positive
“I am so proud of these girls, “Rock Ridge head coach Amy Kvaternik said. “They battled out there tonight and left everything out there on the floor and played their hearts out.”
The Wolverines jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in game one of the match when Aubrey Cherrington was serving and Taylor Morley was in the front row.
Esko was able to stop the scoring run but the Wolverines made it a 4-1 lead when Morley came up with a big block at the net. Esko was able to come back in the game when Sydney Kazel collected a pair of kills to tie the game at 5-5.
The rest of game one was a back and forth affair with neither team being able to grab a lead bigger than three points.
The teams had a 25-25 game tied at 25-25.
Esko was able to put the game away when Cassie Stark unleashed a pair of kills at the net and closed out the opening game, 27-25.
“They battled in the first game,” Kvaternik said. “We really did a lot of good things on the net.”
Game two was a lot like game one with neither team grabbing a big lead.
The biggest lead of the contest was when the Wolverines grabbed a 11-7 lead after a pair of Anna Westby kills and a Kylie Marolt kill.
That four point lead forced Esko head coach Pete Stasiuk to take a time out.
Following the time out, Esko battled back to get within one point at 13-12.
The teams traded points until Aubrey Micken was in the front row for Esko, and a pair of kills made it a 20-20 contest.
Kvaternik then took a time out to settle her squad down.
The teams traded points and Esko was able to close out the game when with a 24-22 lead, the Wolverines sent a serve out of bounds to close out the game.
Game three was a different story.The Wolverines exploded offensively and raced out to an early 9-3 lead thanks to a pair of Marolt kills and a Morley kill.
The Wolverines were not done yet.
They continued to add points on the board and the next thing you know, it was a 15-6 Wolverines lead.
“It sure was a different game for us,” Kvaternik said. “They were doing everything right out there,”
Rock Ridge was one point away from winning the game before Esko cut the Wolverines lead to 24-17, forcing Kvaternik to take a time out.
Following the time out, Esko was able to score two points before Zoey Thyen closed out the game with a big kill at the net.
“That win really fired them up,” Kvaternik said. “They knew right then, that they could play with this team.”
Esko raced out to a 10-4 lead, early in the fourth game.
NBut the Wolverines came storming back and following three big plays defensively at the net, the game was back to a three point contest.
The teams then traded points until Rock Ridge came all the way back and tied the game at 15-15The teams continued to trade points until the game was tied at 20-0.
Rock Ridge was then able to grab a 21-20.
That was a lead that they would not give up the rest of the contest and put the game away when a big Morley block at the net made it a 25-23 Rock Ridge game winner.
“Like I said, that team swept us in three straight last year,” Kvaternik said. “They showed themselves in game three and four that they can do whatever they need to do to play with them.”
Esko threatened to run away with game five, racing out to an 8-4 lead.
But the Wolverines were not going to go away quietly.
A Westby kill made it a 8-5 contest.
The Wolverines battled and came back to make it a one point contest when a Westby kill and a Marolt Tip cut the Esko lead to 12-11.
The teams traded points and Esko held a 14-13 lead and was able to close out the match when Aubrey Micken came up with a kill at the net to make it a 15-13 Esko victory.
“I am so proud of these girls,” Kvaternik said. “They left everything out there tonight and did what theft had to do on both sides of the floor.”
Westby ended the match with 16 kills and 23 digs to lead the Wolverines, while Morley tallied half a dozen blocks. Thyen collected eight kills. Cherrington finished with six ace serves and 31 set assists.
Nex up for the Wolverines is a trip to North Branch on Saturday for a tournament.
Local News
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