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Sheffield rallies for dramatic win over Eisenhower

Sheffield’s Callen Copley (10) digs a ball during a match against Eisenhower at Sheffield High School, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Copley finished with 18 service points, including the final six of the match, and seven digs to lead the Wolverines to a 3-2 win over the Knights.

Coming into the season, Sheffield volleyball knew it would experience some growing pains.

A lineup featuring more freshmen and sophomores than juniors and seniors will inevitably make some costly mistakes. The Wolverines were able to overcome those mistakes in a 3-2 win over visiting Eisenhower Monday. Of course, with the game on the line, it was a senior who came up big for Sheffield.

Trailing 13-9 in the fifth set, Callen Copley stepped to the service line. She served out the final six points to close out the Wolverines first victory of the season.

“She is solid,” Sheffield coach Melissa Lemay said. “She’s our most consistent server, our most consistent passer. Having her back there was huge.”

Sheffield found itself having to come back in the fifth set after leading the match 2-0. The teams played evenly for most of the first two sets, but the Wolverines were able to grind out wins of 25-21 and 25-20.

Eisenhower’s Crystal Work passes the ball to a teammate during a match against Sheffield at Sheffield High School, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. The Wolverines defeated the Knights, 3-2.

“I think we just never got our footing in the first two games,” Eisenhower coach Scott Olson said. “We had a ton of unforced errors. We’re much better than that.”

The Knights shifted the match in their favor in the third. After going down 2-0, Eisenhower went on a 10-0 run to take control of the set. Sheffield tried to rally back, but the Knights were able to fend off the Wolverines and came away with a 25-15 win.

“It seemed like they (Sheffield) started having some troubles, we were able to get a big run and we got our confidence back,” Olson said.

The teams played to a 9-9 tie to start the fourth, then the Knights went on a 6-0 run. Sheffield got to within two at 15-13, but Eisenhower’s serves were keeping the Wolverines from running their offense and Eisenhower grabbed a 25-17 win.

“We worked all summer on jump serving,” Olson said. “When the ball moves it’s difficult to pass.”

Sheffield’s Marissa Grubbs receives a serve during a match against Eisenhower at Sheffield High School, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Grubbs and the Wolverines defeated their cross-county rivals in a thrilling, 3-2, five-set victory.

“We came out strong, then they came on strong,” Lemay said. “The girls didn’t give up. We made some errors based on experience.”

The final set began much like the fourth, with Sheffield gaining the first point and Eisenhower answering with a run. The Knights’ Kiara Weber served Eisenhower to a 5-1 lead and forced a Sheffield timeout.

“Kiara really had it going nice,” Olson said. “She was serving in different spots and at different speeds. She did a great job.”

The Wolverines battled to within a point twice, at 5-4 and 9-8, but couldn’t quite get the game tying point. Eisenhower went up 13-9, then Sheffield got a point and Copley stepped to the line for the win, the Wolverines first of the season.

“This will help them know what it feels like to win . . . and hopefully they like that feeling,” Lemay said. “But we battled back from being down, and that’s a huge takeaway for me.”

Eisenhower's Kiara Weber serves during a match against Sheffield at Sheffield High School, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Weber's serve gave the Wolverines fits throughout the match, but the Knights fell 3-2.

Copley finished with 18 service points and seven digs. Megan Johnson had 23 assists and 13 digs while Annabel Sheldon had five kills and 10 digs and Marissa Grubbs had 14 digs.

JV: SHEFFIELD 2, EISENHOWER 1

The Wolverines won the junior varsity contest in three sets, 25-18, 18-25 and 15-10.

Lily Lauffenberger had 13 service points, including nine straight in the first set, with six aces and six assists and Kaylee Grubbs had seven service points in the win.

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