In a matchup of unbeaten Northern Lakes League volleyball foes on Tuesday night, host Anthony Wayne was able to channel a revenge theme to turn in a dominant three-set victory over Clay.
After the Eagles upset the top-seeded Generals in a Division I district semifinal matchup last season, Anthony Wayne came into Tuesday night's crossover match laser-focused and ready for payback.
Anthony Wayne (14-1, 5-0 NLL Buckeye) trailed 3-1 in the opening set against Clay (12-3, 6-0 NLL Cardinal) on Tuesday, but scored the next nine points to get out to a 10-3 edge and regain control. That led to a 25-11 first-set score which the Generals were able to back up 25-13 in the second and 25-14 in the third.
“The girls came in super focused,” Anthony Wayne coach Chrissy Graven said. “Clay upset us in the tournament last year and we've been looking forward to this match ever since our season ended last year. I felt like we controlled the ball really well. We took some really aggressive swings and we played tough. We kept them playing out of system and so they had a fair share of errors, I would say, from a hitting perspective and we were able to capitalize on the balls they gave us.”
Graven said her team's returning players took last year's loss personally, and this represented an opportunity to avenge that loss in a sense. But she and her staff wanted to guard against her team coming out over-hyped with too much emotion.
“I think it was more personal from the girls' standpoint knowing that they upset us last year and they really wanted revenge to overcome that and make a statement,” Graven said. “I think they really did that. They came out strong and never gave up, and I was proud of how they kept their composure through the whole match. The girls were talking yesterday in practice about getting hyped and being all energy and as a staff, we had to remind them to stay focused, rely on some game strategy, not let the emotions overcome us, and try to stay composed. I think the girls took that to heart and showed up in that way today.”
The second set was Clay's best chance to get back into the match as the set featured five ties after Clay won the first point. At 8-8 in the second, Anthony Wayne scored the next three points to take back control 11-8 before finishing the set with a 14-5 advantage the rest of the way.
“Anthony Wayne dominated us in every category,” Clay coach Nicole Morrison wrote in a statement provided by Clay’s athletic department. “That’s one of the best teams I’ve seen in the area in a long time — long, athletic, and very well-coached with no weaknesses offensively or defensively. We will get back to work tomorrow and continue to get better each day.”
The third set was all Generals as Clay once again won the first point, but Anthony Wayne won the next five points and never trailed the rest of the way.
“We had last year's loss on our mind, so that really helped us get more power,” said Anthony Wayne junior Leah Pike, who led the team with 16 kills. “Then our serve receive and our defense was really good and [Clay's Hayden Rodriguez] is a really active setter and they were picking everything up because they knew her. [Anthony Wayne senior Ryan Dzierwa and junior Jessie Kennelly] did a great job with our defense today and when you have great passes, you have great sets, and we can just put it down.”
The Generals are No. 2 in Ohio in Division II in the latest Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association poll and outlasted the Eagles, who are ranked No. 8 in Division II.
“We were focusing on our three-ball plays and we definitely executed that really well,” said Anthony Wayne junior Mallory Pike, who had 13 kills. “We were able to exploit the open zones on the other side.”
Anthony Wayne has a matchup at Notre Dame Academy on Thursday before a road showdown at Rocky River Magnificat, the No. 2 ranked team in Division I, on Saturday.
“We have quite a few girls who have been on the varsity court since their freshman year, and I think having that experience right from their freshman year has allowed us to build a really good core,” Graven said. “They are super-confident and unfazed when they are pressed. We've been pressed a few times this year from other teams. and just having that experience from the last few years they are unfazed and they are able to overcome. They are a really tight-knit group and are great people at the end of the day and I think that makes a difference. They enjoy playing with each other.”
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