BERLIN CENTER OH- There was a lot on the line Thursday night in the match between Western Reserve and Mineral Ridge. The winner would control their own fate in the hunt for a MVAC title. The Blue Devils could pull even with the Rams with a win. Ridge could put plenty of distance between them and Reserve if they won. Also, Rams senior setter was in search of her 2000th career assist. It all worked out the way the Rams wanted as they swept the Blue Devils, and Aulet reached her career milestone (25-22 25-17 25-22).
It was noticeable right away how much was on the line for both these teams. The first set was fierce. No lead got above two for a large portion of the set. Emotions ran high on some controversial calls, players on both sides were diving all over the court to get balls up in the air. You could feel the desire to win in the air. Even the 15% capacity crowd made their presence felt. In the end, the big difference in the game was unforced errors by the Blue Devils. They totaled 18 attack errors, and 7 service errors. Mineral Ridge only made 4 attack errors. Even in the two sets that were tightly contested, Reserve couldn’t make the last push because of mistakes. That being said they still lost two of the three sets by a combined 6 points. With all the errors, the fact that still remained competitive is a testament to their team.
In the second set, Aulet earned her 2,000th career assist on a kill by Morgan Sigley.
Sigley led the Rams with 10 kills. Katelyn Lesko still has a strong night totaling 8 kills. Megan Gerberry led the Rams in digs with 13. Jersey Tucker who came up with two late clutch kills down the stretch, including the one that ended the match also was in double digit digs with 10. Aulet finished with 29 assists.
Dani Vuletich led the Blue Devils with 8 kills and 4 blocks. Alyvia Hughes also tallied 8 kills from the outside. Gianna Paris recorded a double double for the Devils, finishing with 20 assists, and 12 digs.
Mineral Ridge will look to stay unbeaten in the league on Tuesday as they host Waterloo. Western Reserve will try to bounce back as they host Lowellville on Tuesday.