FALCONS HOLD UP A HUGE WIN
By Ty Bartell
CORTLAND OH- A matchup that had conference implications a year ago found itself revived this season
with both programs agreeing to keep one another on the schedule. We, of course, are talking about The Northeast 8’s (NE8) Lakeview Bulldogs and The Chagrin Valley Lake Conference’s Jefferson Falcons. Making the shift from The NE8, The Jefferson Falcons joined a conference that had competition much closer to home; however, The Falcons still wanted to test themselves against their old conference foe and opted to make the trip down to Cortland, Ohio to battle the perennial powerhouse Bulldogs. With both teams entering the match having double-digit win marks halfway through the season, it made for more than an intriguing matchup!
In the first set Lakeview looked like Lakeview, with The Bulldogs gaining a good majority of their kills from the middle in Reagan Price and Ali Parise while simultaneously fortifying the net on defense! In a blink of an eye Lakeview rallied to a 10+ point advantage and ended the set with a 25-14 win. With the pressure squarely on The Falcons down 0-1 in sets on the road, Jefferson put together an incredible, all-around, defensive display as a team. Despite a great effort from The Bulldogs, The Falcons managed to earn a hard-fought 26-24 set two win.
With the sets knotted up 1-1, it suddenly turned into a best of three and the third set having the advantage hung in the balance. As the previous set was, set three was a tug-of-war with a back-and-forth battle engaging from the opening serve. Once again it came down to the wire and once again The Falcons were up for the task! Managing the clutch kills in the late stages, it was Chloe O’Rourke who capped it off with the final kill to lead Jefferson to the 25-23 set three victory! Turning the table and putting pressure on The Bulldogs, The Falcons would own the 2-1 set advantage with a chance at the match in set four. Jefferson looked like they were on a mission and took advantage of some uncharacteristic Lakeview mistakes, grabbing and holding onto an early lead in the set. Lakeview, again, managed to battle but it was Chloe O’Rourke who finished off the set, 25-23, with the final kill and claiming the match for Jefferson 3-1!
O’Rourke led the way in both kills (24) and digs (20), pairing the double-double with 3 aces in the match win. Helaina Edgar was keeping the offense involved to the tune of 42 assists in the match and also was behind some rallies with 17 service points. Kassidy Blood and Cheyenne McGirr solidified the net with 2 blocks a piece, McGirr would also be tied for the team lead in aces at 3 in the match.
Jefferson (11-2)(3-0) will now look ahead to conference action as they return home to face The Geneva Eagles (5-8)(3-1) on Thursday, September 21st. Lakeview (11-2)(7-0) will attempt to bounce back with conference action of their own, hosting The Struthers Wildcats (5-9)(4-5), also on Thursday. Interviews with Player of the Match Chloe O’Rourke and Head Coach Don Palm can be found below!
