GARRETTSVILLE–Cardinal and West Geauga opened their 2024 volleyball campaigns with a tri-match at James A. Garfield on Saturday.
The Wolverines finished the day 1-1 with a win over Cardinal while the Huskies went 0-2.
“When we were passing, things were going well for us,” said West Geauga coach Amber Baker of her team’s split. “We were able to shut (Cardinal) down and hit well against them. Our communication shut down (on itself) against Garfield. We lost that game for ourselves. We did not play up to our capabilities. I’m disappointed in that, but I know (the girls) are too. All we can do is build on the good, work on our communication, and come in hard against Aurora.”
West Geauga opened the day with a 2-0 win over Cardinal (25-22, 25-22).
The first set went back and forth with eight lead changes before the Wolverines sealed their victory.
West Geauga jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the second set and never looked back as the Wolverines secured the sweep against the Huskies.
Mallory Lear dished out 17 assists in the match and Anna Grill and Ella Grill combined for 15 kills.
“I thought Mallory played really well today,” Baker said. “She did the best she could against Garfield, but in the first game against Cardinal, she murdered it. When we’re swinging, we’re winning; we just need the pass to her, and she can dominate no matter what.”
Shaylynn Rogaski played well defensively against Cardinal, with eight digs, while Jill Drabek and Ella Grill each had four blocks for the Wolverines.
Cardinal may have dropped both games, but the Huskies, with a new head coach and a young team, played hard throughout the match.
“I think it was a very positive day for us, in many ways,” said Cardinal coach Michael Chaffee. “The one thing I learned is that we need to maintain confidence when things tilt away from us a little bit. That’s a growth factor, but our kids play hard, and they care. One thing we’re working on is trying to speed up our game, and we still have some room for growth in playing quicker.”
West Geauga dropped a 25-17, 25-21 to the host G-Men to close out the day with a split.
Next up for the Wolverines is a non-conference showdown with Aurora on Aug. 20.
“We just need to ensure we go in with energy and keep it,” Baker said. “We can’t just start blowing it when we get down one or two points. We need to be able to believe in ourselves and our teammates and lift each other up as we go on through the match. Hopefully, the communication will carry us through.”
Cardinal also fell to Garfield, 25-20, 25-22.
Despite the 0-2 start, the Huskies competed well in both matches and grew up a bit I their first action of the season.
“It’s always good to have an opener against teams that will show you what you need to improve,” Chaffee said. “We struggled with West Geauga’s size, and Garfield sped us up a little bit. These are good growth areas for us; our kids are hungry for success.”
Ali Puruczky and Maddie Ehrhardt led the Huskies’ offensive attack.
Puruczky recorded 15 kills on the day while Ehrhardt recorded 17 assists.
Adelyn Grant totaled 18 digs for the Cardinal defense.
Cardinal has seven non-conference games on the horizon, starting with an Aug. 20 trip to LaBrae, which could present the perfect opportunity for the Huskies to grow immensely.
“We have time, that’s a good thing,” Chaffee said. “We’re looking to get some confidence, a routine, and the right mindset. We’re still tinkering with the lineup, and I’m much happier than I am disappointed after today.”
