KNIGHTS DOMINATE BATTLE OF AKRON

By Ty Bartell

AKRON OH- Rivalries. They are what brings all the natural drama into the world of sports, the very
thing that peaks our interests and keeps us wanting more. Seen in both professional and collegiate athletics, high schools are no stranger to rivalries, with every school having that one adversary that raises the tension of the matchup immensely! Certain high school contests carry different weight and bring a ton of attention to them, the battle between Akron St. Vincent & St. Mary and Akron Archbishop Hoban is one of those rivalries.

On Tuesday night, inside of Barry Gym at The Castle of Archbishop Hoban High School, The Fighting Irish and The Knights battled once again. This time, they took it to the volleyball court for their one and only matchup of the year in front of a packed house with student sections that were loud and proud! Feeding off the energy of the crowd, both teams exchanged in some back-and-forth scoring, testing the waters on one another. The Knights used a big run in the middle of the set to create all the separation they would need. Sprinting to the finish, Hoban would claim the convincing 25-10 opening set win.

Feeling the groove and staying in rhythm, The Knights carried their string of dominating runs into the next set. Getting both a 6 and 11 point run in the set, Hoban would propel themselves to a 2-0 set lead with a 25-7 set two victory. Getting better as the night went on, it proved to be all Archbishop Hoban on Tuesday evening, with The Knights conquering the third set (25-5) and the match 3-0.

Another straight set win has Hoban at a perfect 9-0 to start the year! Big performers for The Knights included the always amazing Amber Watson who led the way in kills again with 14. The Cool Mintz made an impact on both sides of the ball as Macie Mintz notched 11 digs and Madison Mintz recorded 17 service points. Kalie Watson was The Ace Queen of the evening with 4 aces, while Bailey Prince fortified the net with 3 blocks to lead The Knights. The lone senior Sophia Day led the way setting up the offense to the tune of 16 assists on the night.

Hoban (9-0) will now turn their attention to the road where they will meet The Lake Blue Streaks (3-4) on Thursday, September 14th.