MORAVIA - Karina Huber may have been expecting her Moravia volleyball team to get their first win against Union Springs on Tuesday, but probably not as smoothly as it actually happened.
Glenn Gaston / The Citizen
Moravia's Emily Lockett (right) and Cato-Meridian's Leah Lalone (30) battle for a loose ball in a field hockey game Monday in Cato.
Moravia's Emily Lockett (right) and Cato-Meridian's Leah Lalone (30) battle for a loose ball in a field hockey game Monday in Cato.
The Wolves came into the game already with double the wins (two) than they had all last season. With eight returning players, the Blue Devils were surprisingly winless, but not short on talent. Mistakes were frequent on both sides of the net, but the Blue Devils quickly swept the Wolves 3-0 with scores of 25-7, 25-4 and 25-19.
“We had a whole week off, which showed,” Union Springs coach Stephanie Weaver said. “Our serving was off tonight and it just took the girls a little bit of time to get back into the game.”
For the most part, serving was tough for both sides. Consistently smacking aces was the Blue Devils' Jaymi Kelley, who wound up with 10, along with 18 service points. She got most of them in the first and second games, when the Wolves couldn't come up with an answer to her hard-hit serve.
When a Union Springs player was able to make contact with one, it was hit out of boundsor into the net most of the time. Kelley also had three kills and a block.
“Jaymi is very strong offensively and she did well in this game,” Moravia coach Kari Huber said. “She has been pretty consistent for her us; it was a pretty average night for her.”
Alexis Tucker (five aces, three kills) also had a nice effort on the court, as did Cayla Wade, who had one ace, seven service points, five assists and two kills. Leah Hilliard didn't register much in the way of stats, but put together a good defensive game.
“I didn't feel like anyone did poorly,” Huber said. “It just seemed like they were all being aggressive out there.”
Kim Huber and Emilie Salato led the Wolves on defense, but it was a futile effort in the first two matches.
In the third game, the Blue Devils seemed to lose some focus, building only a four-point lead for most of the game. The Wolves took their first lead of the night when Huber recorded an ace and a service point to give them a 2-0 lead.
They kept the match close until Kelly came in to serve late. Kendra Middleton recorded the only other Wolves' ace, along with one kill. Jamie Pearce had an assist and a kill and Jessica Blank had two kills.
“Kendra is always strong defensively, playing the net, she's our court leader. Kim is really working hard too and has really stepped it up this season,” Weaver said. “A couple of girls were off today and it just didn't happen for us when we needed it.”
The Wolves drop to a game below .500 at 2-3 and host South Seneca, a team they have already beaten this season, for their homecoming game on Saturday. The Blue Devils travel to Groton on Thursday.
“(The first win) feels good,” Huber said. “We've been on and off this year, but they played a good game. It wasn't outstanding, but they were good.”
“We had a whole week off, which showed,” Union Springs coach Stephanie Weaver said. “Our serving was off tonight and it just took the girls a little bit of time to get back into the game.”
For the most part, serving was tough for both sides. Consistently smacking aces was the Blue Devils' Jaymi Kelley, who wound up with 10, along with 18 service points. She got most of them in the first and second games, when the Wolves couldn't come up with an answer to her hard-hit serve.
When a Union Springs player was able to make contact with one, it was hit out of boundsor into the net most of the time. Kelley also had three kills and a block.
“Jaymi is very strong offensively and she did well in this game,” Moravia coach Kari Huber said. “She has been pretty consistent for her us; it was a pretty average night for her.”
Alexis Tucker (five aces, three kills) also had a nice effort on the court, as did Cayla Wade, who had one ace, seven service points, five assists and two kills. Leah Hilliard didn't register much in the way of stats, but put together a good defensive game.
“I didn't feel like anyone did poorly,” Huber said. “It just seemed like they were all being aggressive out there.”
Kim Huber and Emilie Salato led the Wolves on defense, but it was a futile effort in the first two matches.
In the third game, the Blue Devils seemed to lose some focus, building only a four-point lead for most of the game. The Wolves took their first lead of the night when Huber recorded an ace and a service point to give them a 2-0 lead.
They kept the match close until Kelly came in to serve late. Kendra Middleton recorded the only other Wolves' ace, along with one kill. Jamie Pearce had an assist and a kill and Jessica Blank had two kills.
“Kendra is always strong defensively, playing the net, she's our court leader. Kim is really working hard too and has really stepped it up this season,” Weaver said. “A couple of girls were off today and it just didn't happen for us when we needed it.”
The Wolves drop to a game below .500 at 2-3 and host South Seneca, a team they have already beaten this season, for their homecoming game on Saturday. The Blue Devils travel to Groton on Thursday.
“(The first win) feels good,” Huber said. “We've been on and off this year, but they played a good game. It wasn't outstanding, but they were good.”
