PEMBERVILLE, Ohio — Lake is still on track to win its fifth straight Northern Buckeye Conference volleyball championship but, thanks to host Eastwood on Thursday night, the first-place Flyers will now have to work a little bit harder to secure that crown.
The Eagles (12-4, 8-2 NBC) pulled within a game of Lake (12-3, 9-1) by taking a 3-1 victory, playing the aggressor's role from the outset in winning by scores of 25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 25-20.
“We were able to come out aggressive early,” Eastwood coach Sarah Frank said of her team's court demeanor. “[Lake] is always a tough competitor and a very talented program, and our girls knew the game plan, knew what we wanted of them, and we practiced and prepared for this.
“We came together a little later in the summer. We had some injuries and made some changes, and I feel like the girls have taken a little time to get where we are. But we have girls who are so, so gritty, and are very committed to the game, and to their team. They came out aggressive and wanting it.”
Sophomore outside hitter Mack Miller led the attack for Eastwood with 21 kills, 6-foot-3 senior OH Lilly Mullholand had 12 kills, and senior OH Addie Hartman added eight as the Eagles handed Lake its first conference defeat.
“Volleyball is obviously a mental sport and I think our team this year has really come together and gained confidence,” said Miller, who has a team-high 256 kills on the season. “We've won games and gotten a little cocky. But that's really helped us, at the end of the game, to get excited and just go.”
Instead of owning a three-game lead in the standings over both Eastwood and Oak Harbor with four NBC matches remaining for the teams, Lake must now win three of those four to secure at least a title share.
The Flyers' only conference loss last season also came against Eastwood, that one on Lake's home court. Since the start of the 2020 season, the Flyers have now gone 62-3 in NBC play, with all three setbacks coming against the Eagles. Eastwood shared the 2020 conference title with Lake.
Lake has NBC matches remaining against Fostoria, Otsego, Rossford, and Maumee, having beaten each in the first round of conference play. Eastwood, which lost 3-1 at Lake earlier this season, finishes against Rossford, Maumee, Genoa, and Oak Harbor.
On Thursday night, Eastwood built 15-10 leads in each of the first three sets, and a 15-11 edge in the fourth.
Each time, Lake rallied to within one point, tied the set, or took leads, only to see the Eagles close stronger in three of the four sets in this tightly-contested battle.
The Flyers' attack was paced by sophomore middle hitter Mylah Vorst with 16 kills, most on well-placed taps or dump shots. Sophomore right-side hitter Kennedy Falkenberg had eight kills, and senior MH Kera Magers contributed seven for Lake.
The first set featured some controversy when Lake pulled within 20-18, only to have the home scorekeeper correct the scoreboard to 21-18, a disputed count which took the game officials seven minutes to evaluate before deciding on 21-18.
Eastwood added three straight points after the delay, and ultimately grabbed a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second set, the Flyers again rallied from down 15-10 to forge ties at 20, 21, and 22 before kills by Mullholand and Miller were followed by a Hartman service ace to make it a 2-0 Eastwood edge in sets.
“This was a very important game for us,” Miller said. “Going for the league was one of our goals this year, and being able to even tie for the league would be an achievement for us.
“In volleyball, there's going to be some ups and downs — like a roller coaster. Being able take a deep breath between huddles resets us, and gets us going for the next point.”
Lake showed some resiliency in the third set, trailing 21-20 before closing on a 5-1 surge to get within 2-1.
Trailing 19-14 in set No. 4, Lake looked poised to stage another rally and force a fifth and deciding set, getting back within 22-20 on a Vorst kill. But this time Eastwood regrouped to close out the game.
“They didn't play with a sense of urgency because they knew, going in, that they were undefeated and Eastwood already had two losses,” Lake coach Amy Vorst said of her team. “That is not at all an excuse, but our kids were not dialed in the way they needed to be. That is upsetting as a coach. We can't ever take plays off, but I think that was a big part of it. They came in kind of with no pressure.
“I'm excited for our kids because, if we handle our business from here on out, we'll be league champs for the fifth year in a row. That's our goal, that's our plan, and that's what we're going to do.”
Following the close of the regular season, under Ohio's new seven-division format, Lake will compete in the Division IV tournament after reaching the D-II regionals last year under the former four-division alignment. Eastwood, which reached a D-III district final in 2023, will compete in D-V this year.
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