Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
The Lake volleyball team produced a 25-18, 25-14, 25-21 win over Oak Harbor on the road Tuesday, securing the program’s sixth-consecutive NBC title in what was essentially a league title match.
With one match left against Rossford in league play on Thursday, Lake (16-5, 12-1 NBC) now sits two games ahead of Oak Harbor (17-4, 10-3) and Eastwood (13-6, 9-3) — thus also securing a fifth-straight outright title.
Had Oak Harbor won, the Rockets would have moved into a tie for the conference lead with one match left.
“It's exciting,” Lake head coach Amy Vorst said. “It just goes to show that when the kids have chemistry and leadership, a lot can happen — and that's what these kids have. They play for each other. They get excited for each other, and it's very evident. I think you can even tell from the kids on the bench, they did this as a team.”
Vorst believes that chemistry has been a catalyst to this year’s title run.
“They have fun together,” she said. “They're comfortable enough with each other where they can razz each other. Nobody gets offended. It's always a fun environment in practice. They always have a fun environment in the locker room.”
Against Oak Harbor, Vorst said her team’s ball control and serve reception were two keys to the sweep, highlighted by a 21-dig performance from Laynie Meadows.
“Laynie’s defense, holy smokes, she went bananas in middle back,” Vorst said. “She played out of her mind defensively. And Calli Conley in service receive, I mean she had almost all threes. I can't wait to add this up and see what she did. Savanna Saunders did a great job getting the ball to the hitters, so did Lucy (Boos). Caity Extine having big blocks at big times, that was big, too.”
With the opening set tied at seven, Kennedy Falkenberg ended a long rally with a termination that started a 4-0 run for Lake.
Oak Harbor’s Tatum Baumgartner helped her team answer with back-to-back points. After the second one, which ended on a termination for her, play was stopped to recognize the senior for reaching 1,000 career digs.
Her coach, Kaytlynn Sandwisch, said the defensive accomplishment is even more special for a player that teams are geared to stop from an offensive standpoint.
“She's an all-around athlete who truly wants to be better, not just for herself, but for her team,” Sandwisch said. “She constantly wants to improve her game. I feel like most people know her as a hitter, and to reach 1,000 digs is an amazing accomplishment.
“Not everybody gets to do that, so the fact that she's known for her hitting or she's the person on the other side of the net that you're worried about, I think it's pretty amazing that she's reaching 1,000 digs.”
After Baumgartner’s recognition, Lake regained momentum as an ace from Savanna Saunders gave the Flyers a 17-12 advantage and forced Oak Harbor’s first timeout.
Another timeout moments later didn’t slow Lake as the Flyers concluded the opening frame on a 14-5 run.
Lake used that momentum in the second set, opening up a 12-8 lead on a kill from Lucy Boos. Oak Harbor called a timeout down 21-12, but a termination from Harlow Haberland secured a two-set lead.
Oak Harbor entered the match having won seven straight, which included a reverse sweep of Eastwood on Sept. 23 that helped them really gain steam.
Considering that, Vorst said her team’s strong start was massive.
“It was huge, and going into the third, the girls had the momentum, they had the confidence,” she said. “I think we were up 11 in the third, and then I don't know, we had a brain fart or something. But I'm glad that they pulled it out.”
The third set opened with domination from Lake, who led 10-1 early. Oak Harbor steadied the ship after a timeout, but the Flyers still led comfortably, 23-16, following a kill from Falkenberg.
The Rockets turned it up a notch, though, as Baumgartner hammered home a kill on an overpass to highlight a 5-0 run. Down two entering the ensuing point, Oak Harbor saw the officials call a Lake attack out of bounds.
However, after a conference, the officials reversed course and said the ball was in, which gave Lake three match points, and the Flyers finished it off on the first attempt.
Boos totaled 17 assists and 11 digs for Lake. Calli Conley added 13 digs, while Saunders had 19 assists, nine digs, and four aces. Mylah Vorst led the team offensively with 15 kills, while the duo of Haberland (8) and Caity Extine (6) combined for 14 more.
“I’m just so proud of these kids,” Amy Vorst said. “They did this, and they deserve all the credit. They did a fantastic job.”
On the other side, Sandwisch is hoping her team can carry the improved play she’s seen out of her team recently into postseason play.
“I think that these girls just know how it feels to struggle or to have things not go their way, and I would have rather experienced that now than later — when it's the most important,” she said. “This is important (in the league race), but (postseason play is) a little different.”
