MILLBURY — Wednesday’s Northern Buckeye Conference volleyball showdown felt more like a kill festival by Eastwood 5-foot-11 freshman hitter Mackenna Miller and Lake 5-11 senior outside hitter Taryn DeWese, both wearing No. 9.
The two front line players traded shots the entire game, combining for 46 kills — 28 by DeWese and 18 by Miller.
However, the Eagles got the best of the match-up, winning in four sets, 25-19, 26-28, 25-23, 25-20. Eastwood’s seniors have been working for years to finally get this win over Lake, which has won two straight outright league titles. The Eagles and Flyers last shared an NBC title in 2020.
“We finally beat them,” Eastwood 5-11 senior hitter Nadia Miller said. “It’s been our goal since our freshman year, we haven’t beaten them the past four years until now.”
Eastwood senior setter Paige Hoodlebrink added, “It feels really good because this has been the biggest accomplishment for us for the longest time, and now we’ve finally accomplished it. Our team is really close this year so it’s just that more special.”
It was a kill by Nadia Miller that won set point to put the Eagles up 2-1 and a kill by Mackenna Miller that won match point to secure the victory for the Eagles.
Eastwood junior Addie Hartman had 13 kills and a block, 6-3 junior Lilly Mullholland had 11 kills and seven blocks, and Nadia Miller had 10 kills and two blocks.
Hoodlebrink, who is closing in on 1,000 assists and the school record in assists, had 58 dimes to her name in Eastwood’s win.
Eastwood could have won the match in a three-set sweep, scoring the first six points of the second set and not trailing until two consecutive aces by Lake freshman defensive specialist Lucy Boos put the Flyers up, 24-23.
The Flyers went on to get their only set win, 28-26, but the Eagles recovered to take sets three and four.
“I think we came out really strong and energetic and very rested,” Eastwood coach Sarah Frank said. “Maybe there was a little letup in the second set but we decided in the third set we were going to come back super disciplined.
“We were going to read every single contact and transition on the court and also make sure that our contacts were disciplined. We weren’t going to make mistakes on our shots and we became more aggressive on our serves.
“I feel like our girls were really locked in today. I honestly think it came down to mental toughness,” Frank continued.
“They stayed very calm and when things didn’t go their way they recovered as a team and became super aggressive. They didn’t play timid and because of that we pulled this one out against a really tough Lake team.”
However, Eastwood, 13-2 overall and 8-2 in the NBC, still trails league leader Lake, 12-5 and 9-1, by one game in the standings. Both teams have four conference games remaining, so the Eagles have to hope another team can upset the Flyers.
“It’s great that we now at least have a chance at a league title because if we lost, it would probably be something we wouldn’t have had a chance to do anyway,” Nadia Miller said.
Frank added, “They are a very tough team but we really needed this one, not only because we want to be tops in the league, but because they were a very tough competitor this year and we felt like even though they were so tough we could take one, if not two from them.”
“That first loss from them (five sets on September 5) at the beginning of the season was tough, but to come back and win this from them was a great success for us going ahead.”
Lake still controls their own destiny. All they need to do is win out and they are still outright league champions.
“As soon as we got in the huddle, I said, ‘Don’t get it twisted. You are still in first place,’” Lake coach Amy Vorst said.
“‘You’ve got to take care of business the next week and the following week and you will still win the league. I get that they knocked one off of us, but you’re still in first place. So, go back there and win it.’”
Eastwood’s other league loss was in five sets at Otsego last week with three starters out, including two who were injured and one with illness. The Eagles are finally getting back to being healthy and having a full roster.
“The past couple years they’ve been an important part of our team. We all have really close friendships, so losing them, its hard to play, but having them back is definitely great,” Nadia Miller said.
Hoodlbrink added, “I think we’re such a good family that when we lose players it gets to our heads. When we have all our players together, it’s just like a family together that plays.”
For Lake, DeWese had seven digs to go with her 28 kills and senior outside hitter and setter Vayda Delventhal had seven kills and 19 digs, but Vorst said it was a lack of defense and aggression that led to her team’s loss.
“We need to be the aggressor and we were not today,” Vorst said. “We were on our heels the whole time. I told my kids that from the start we have to control the tempo and be aggressive.
“I do not want to tip the ball, roll the ball, throw the ball, I want to hit the ball. We didn’t stick to our game plan and that’s what happened.”
Lake senior middle hitter Maura Deutschman had nine kills, senior libero Sydney Stanley had 20 digs, and junior defensive specialist Sydney Marchetto had 17 digs.
Vorst said she thought Marchetto “played phenomenally. For me, that’s the best match she’s had all season.”
