GENEVA–Edgewood defeated host Geneva in a Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division showdown on Tuesday, 3-1.
The Warriors won the match over their conference and county rivals, 25-15, 20-25, 25-14, 25-17.
“These in-county rivalry games are important, and Geneva came out fired up,” said Edgewood head coach Kyra Vencill. “We have to know that no matter what a team’s record is, in the conference or county, they will come at us with all they’ve got. These games are not easy to win. We have to show up point-for-point. We focus on that in practice.”
With the win, the Warriors improved to 9-3 overall and 3-0 in the CVC Lake Division.
The match began with a tight race as both teams exchanged points until Leigha Guyton’s ace broke an 11-11 tie in the first set.
That ace sparked Edgewood’s decisive 14-4 run, leading them to win the opening set.
Set two continued the back-and-forth battle, with Geneva taking a 13-8 lead.
Despite a push from Edgewood, Kailyn Cerjan bolstered Geneva’s effort with two consecutive service aces, helping them rally with a 12-7 run to clinch the set two win.
Coach Vencill’s team set a goal to help regain control of the match in set three.
“After set two, the girls were fired up and set a goal to limit Geneva to 10 points,” Vencill said. “They did well by holding them to 14. They went out there, fired up, and came out hammering. We’re a hitting team, and when we’re hammering (the ball), we’re good. They did that in set three.”
Edgewood responded with dominance in the third set, quickly establishing a 13-2 lead before Guyton put down another kill to seal the win.
In the fourth set, Faith Vencill’s service ace tied the score at 9-9, and Edgewood then surged with an 11-5 run, ultimately securing the conference with for the Warriors.
The win marks Edgewood’s second victory of the week, following a four-set win over South Range on September 16.
Vencill and her squad looked to avenge last season’s losses to South Range and Jefferson, who Edgewood visits on Sept. 24 in hopes of redeeming last year’s sweep.
“When we saw that we had South Range this week, we called it ‘Redemption Week,’” Vencill said. “We just wanted to focus on sweeping this week. The girls have to be mentally strong throughout this week.”
The front row’s defense was a key component of Edgewood’s 2-0 start toward redemption. The row totaled 14 blocks and 12 touches to neutralize Geneva’s attack.
“One of the goals we’re setting is getting as many blocks as we can,” Vencill said of her team’s improving defense. “We set a goal to try and keep the ball in the pocket so we could run our offense, and we did well with that. We’ve been drilling it a lot in practice. The girls were effective with it tonight.”
Gianna Ianetta led the offensive effort with 35 assists, while Faith Vencill added 20 kills. Makenna Rhodes contributed 15 kills, Guyton added seven kills and four blocks, and Luci Paolillo provided solid defensive play with 22 digs.
Geneva, despite a challenging start to the season with a 0-6 record, demonstrated resilience and competitiveness.
“We played well; I’m super proud of these girls,” said Geneva head coach Annah Haeseler. “We didn’t play afraid; we went after the win. Even when we got down, we found a way to keep chipping away.”
The Eagles have found success of late, winning two of their last three entering play against Edgewood.
“Volleyball is a game of momentum, and any team can swing (the momentum),” Haeseler said. “We kept chipping away today. I hope the girls know to trust each other and themselves. It’s a young team, and doubt can creep in easily. I hope we can find a way to keep the foot on the gas pedal.”
Rhiley Williams led the Eagles with 13 kills and Ella Haesler added eight kills and nine assists. Cerjan finished 19 assists.
Geneva will host Jefferson on Sept. 19, while Edgewood will visit Madison on the same day.
