PERRY—Perry defended its home court on Thursday with a 25-16, 25-16, 20-25, 25-10 victory over visiting Kirtland in a Chagrin Valley Conference crossover match.
The Pirates controlled the first two sets, stumbled in the third, and then closed out the match with a dominant fourth set to secure the 3-1 win.
“This is a team that can fight, and we are really playing as a team,” said Perry head coach Chakib Hraga. “Everybody’s pitching in, they believe in the team aspect of the game, and they are playing that way. Everybody has a role, and they are doing it well.”
Perry fell behind 7-4 early in the opener before rallying behind Emily Mechenbier, who tallied four blocks and four kills to spark a 25-16 win.
The Pirates carried that energy into the second set, building an 18-12 lead and riding the momentum to another 25-16 win.
Kirtland answered in the third set, jumping ahead 6-2 and delivering seven service aces, including two from Willa Gordon—the second sealing the Hornets’ 25-20 win.
But Perry quickly regrouped. The Pirates stormed out in the fourth set and never looked back, cruising to a 25-10 victory.
“We are a balanced team. We don’t rely on one player, we rely on the team,” Hraga said. “It’s what I instill in them; they’re buying into and believing in it.”
With the league title already secured, Hraga emphasized the importance of using late-season matches to prepare for the postseason.
“We challenge them in practice and create situations where it’s going to be tough on us,” he said. “We will make sure that players put in those scenarios can overcome it, and on the other side of the net, we try to make sure (the opposition) does not succeed. When we do these scenarios, the girls go all in and are good at it. We practice hard so that when they come to the game becomes a little bit easier.”
Mechenbier finished with nine kills and five blocks, while Ari Rogers paced the Pirates with 10 kills. Tatum Christian added seven.
Kirtland, meanwhile, continues to navigate a season hampered by injuries, which has opened the door for younger players to step in.
“For three out of our six rotations, we had three underclassmen playing for the first time,” said Kirtland’s Bria Golem. “It’s hard to make that adjustment, for the most part, despite the injuries, we played pretty well together. We tried our best.”
Head coach Ricky Sanders said the experience now will pay dividends down the road.
“The experience that they are getting is going to be a really big deal next year,” Sanders said. “We have freshmen playing who have never seen the varsity level or seen this type of speed before, and to have them get acclimated to what’s going on is going to do us good in the future.”
Ellie Spencer led the Hornets with seven kills, while Matea Vujica chipped in five kills and two blocks. Karli DiFranco added six kills, and Golem, Spencer, Gordon, Andrianna Grman, and Riley Kinch combined for 14 service aces.
Perry (12-5) returns to action Oct. 4 in a home tournament against Madison, North, and South. Kirtland (11-6) will host Cuyahoga Heights on Oct. 6.
