GENEVA — Edgewood leaned on timely rallies to sweep past host Geneva, 25-17, 25-18, 25-17, in a crucial Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division matchup on Tuesday night.
The Warriors thrived in key moments of every set, flipping tight battles into bursts of momentum that carried them to victory.
“I wanted the girls to recognize when they were able to make a run, and when we made them, it’s while we were serving,” said Edgewood head coach Kyra Vencill. “We knew we needed to get those side outs quickly, take care of the ball on serve-receive, and I didn’t want us letting up. I wanted to be aggressive throughout the game and make sure our offense was running to a tee. I wanted the passes to be high enough to run an offense, speed up the offense, and the girls did exactly what I asked of them, and they played well.”
The opener stayed close early, locked at 13-13, until Edgewood hit the accelerator. Behind a combined 12 kills from Faith Vencill and Addison Lamson, the Warriors surged on a 12-4 run to take the first set, 25-17.
Geneva struck first in the second set, racing out to a 5-0 lead behind two service aces from Kailyn Cerjan. But Edgewood quickly swung the momentum with a blistering 9-0 run, seizing the lead and never letting go in a 25-18 win that put the Warriors up 2-0.
The third set unfolded in a similar fashion, with the teams knotted at 6-6 before Edgewood once again took control. Two service aces from Payton Lamson and three kills from Faith Vencill built an 11-6 advantage, and the Warriors never looked back. Vencill delivered her 25th kill of the night before sealing the sweep with a service ace, 25-17.
The victory broke a three-way tie atop the Lake Division standings, where Jefferson, Edgewood, and Geneva had been deadlocked at 5-1. Now, Edgewood and Jefferson appear headed for a high-stakes showdown on Oct. 8 in Jefferson.
“This win was really important for us. We didn’t have our best game last night, but we made it work,” said Edgewood senior Addy Lamson. “It was a team win tonight. It took every single one of us on every single point, and we fought hard. Geneva is a really good team, and they put up a fight.”
The Warriors also see the victory as a statement after their earlier loss to Jefferson.
“Losing to Jefferson was a reality check for us,” coach Vencill said. “We talked about the things that we didn’t do well, and we knew we needed to focus on those things. That’s what we did tonight. We were concentrating on our serve receive line and making sure that we were running our offense and doing it at our pace. That’s what the girls did, and I’m extremely happy with the fact that they answered, listened, did well, and played well. I couldn’t be happier.”
Faith Vencill finished with 25 kills and an ace. Laney Brunell added five kills, Addison Lamson chipped in four kills and two aces, Summer Matthews distributed 30 assists, and Payton Woodring had four kills and two blocks.
Geneva, meanwhile, showed its growth and resiliency despite the loss, remaining in the thick of the division race.
“There’s been tremendous growth and maturity. They have confidence in pressure situations, and our main attackers shined tonight,” said Geneva head coach Annah Haeseler. “They have the experience and maturity to put down those hits against (Faith Vencill).”
The Eagles’ challenge, Haeseler noted, comes down to consistency when Edgewood and other top opponents go on runs.
“It’s just a matter of believing we can do it. When (Edgewood) made those runs, we were ahead at the beginning,” she said. “Then it was like three points in a row that got us out of it, so it’s that mental game. We have to stay focused, go out to the next match, and play our best.”
Rhiley Williams led Geneva with 11 kills and two aces, Ella Haeseler added 10 kills, and Cerjan pitched in with 23 assists and three aces.
Edgewood (6-1 in league play) travels to Madison on Oct. 7, while Geneva (5-2) hosts the Blue Streaks on Oct. 2.
