Different court, same result. Warren's and Eisenhower's girls volleyball teams met for the second time this season, this time at Warren, but the result was the same as the Dragons swept the Knights, 25-15, 25-15 and 25-17.
"We've played better (than we did tonight)," Eisenhower coach Tom Firth said. "It's doubtful we've played a better team, though."
Both teams traded points in the first game, reaching a deadlock at 8-8, but it was virtually all Warren (9-0 overall, 8-0 in Region 4) from there as the Dragons closed the game on a 17-7 run to win 25-15.
Article Photos
Times Observer photo by Brian Hagberg
Rehe of light
Warren’s Tessa Rehe prepares to spike the ball against Eisenhower in their volleyball match Tuesday at Warren Area High School. The Dragons swept the Knights, 3-0, to remain undefeated in dual matches.
Eisenhower (5-4, 5-3) was able to stay close in game two, pulling to within three at 14-11, but the Dragons were able to rattle off five straight points forcing the Knights to call timeout trailing 19-11. Warren remained in control the rest of the game as they won 25-15.
Warren took command early in game three, gaining an 18-13 lead. The Knights tried to rally but fell short as the Dragons finished off the sweep with a 25-17 win.
"We hit the ball pretty good and had good ball control," Warren coach Mike Dolan said.
Anna Wenger led the Dragons with 15 kills and six aces, Tessa Rehe added 12 kills, and Susan Anderson added six kills. Setter Savannah Grosch had 34 assists and four aces and Alex Pellegrino had four digs.
"Alex was a big part of the offense tonight," Dolan said. "She made every pass, every dig."
Dolan also added that Anderson made some "nice defensive plays from the back row."
Alyssa Peterson had four kills and four blocks to lead the Knights. Lauren Blanco added three kills five digs and an ace and Kelsey Repke chipped in with six digs.
"Peterson had some good blocks, which was nice to see," Firth said. "But we've got to do something about our coverage. It starts with the blocks; if we can't block, we can't cover."
Dolan said, "We have to minimize our mistakes and focus on making every play," as the Dragons look ahead to the postseason. "We just have to keep getting better," he said.
Warren also won the J.V. contest, 19-25, 25-23 and 15-4. Rachel Lasecki had eight kills for the Dragons.
---
Franklin 3, Youngsville 2
FRANKLIN - You could sense the frustration in Youngsville coach Terry Schrader's voice.
This was a match his team could've won.
The Eagles came out on fire, but fizzled late in a 3-2 loss to Franklin Tuesday at Franklin Area High School.
Youngsville won the opening game, 25-8, dropped games two and three, 18-25 and 21-25, won game four, 25-23, and dropped the decisive game five, 13-15, in a thrilling road match.
"We don't lack the skill to win," said Schrader. "We lack the mental composure. Game one we played lights out and in game two we didn't play to half of that intensity. We battled back from there, but in the end it was our Achilles heel - serving - that cost us the match."
Abbey McLaughlin, whose net play continues to impress according to Schrader, ended the match with eight kills and 34 digs. Savanna Schoedel chipped in with 12 kills and Arielle Clark clicked off eight kills and 43 digs.
Youngsville's junior varsity team dropped a 2-0 decision to Franklin. The Eagles dropped game one, 16-25, 8-25. Cierra Ohl had three service points in defeat.
Youngsville (3-7) is back in action Thursday when it visits Rocky Grove.
---
Bradford 3, Sheffield 0
Coming off an upset victory on Monday against Eisenhower, Sheffield dropped a quick three-set decision to the Bradford Owls by scores of 8-25, 8-25, 13-25 on Tuesday. Sheffield started out up 1-0 in the first but Bradford dominated from there to cruise to the game-one win. In game two, Sheffield was up 5-4 before the Owls went on a 13-0 run to pull away. Game three wasn't any better for the Wolverines as Bradford jumped out to a 3-0 lead en route to the 12-point win.
"We had over 50 unforced errors," said Sheffield coach Scott Olson. "We made them look like rock stars; (our) girls did not look like they wanted to play."
Sheffield is 2-10 overall.
The J.V. Wolverines lost as well by scores of 17-25, 23-25.
No individual statistics were reported to the Times Observer.
---
Erie First Christian 3, TCCS 0
ERIE - Tidioute Charter fell to 5-5 overall in a 19-25, 13-25, 19-25 loss on the road.
"We were just inconsistent. The girls had trouble working like the team they usually are," said Tidioute coach Margie Manning, whose Bulldogs defeated Erie First earlier this season.
Cassie York had two aces, seven kills and three assists for Tidioute, which hosts Calvary Baptist on Friday. Lacy Wolford added one kill and five digs in the loss.
Michaela Mohrey had three aces and three kills and Anna Lindemuth three aces and two kills in a 25-19, 25-16 junior varsity win for Tidioute.
---
Meadville Calvary 3, WCCS 2
MEADVILLE - Warren County Christian School ended its regular season with a heartbreaking marathon match loss to Meadville Calvary Baptist, 3-2, on Tuesday.
The Lady Lions battled to the end, but ultimately dropped an 11-25, 25-19, 25-20, 21-25, 12-15 decision.
Allyssa Kerr finished with 10 service points, two aces, seven kills and three digs and Christina Girard added 15 service points, seven kills, 12 assists and four digs. Teammate Jessie Lauffenburger finished with 11 service points.
Also contributing for WCCS were Aubree Hendrickson (15 service points, 11 digs), Karrie Baker (20 service points, six digs), Dymphee Zortman (10 service points) and Alivia Kelsey (16 digs).
WCCS' junior varsity team finished an undefeated season with a 25-19, 25-14 win over Calvary Baptist. Emily Wenger had 12 service points and Kate Erdman 10 more for the winners.
WCCS opens New Penn Christian Conference Tournament play next week.