KIRTLAND– Berkshire stayed perfect on the season with a thrilling three-set sweep of host Kirtland, 25-21, 25-21, 26-24, in a Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division showdown on Tuesday.
The win pushed the Badgers to 8-0.
From start to finish, the match was a slugfest, but Berkshire’s depth and poise proved to be the difference.
“Today was a day where the talent that they have came through. We didn’t play as clean as we have in the past, but we were able to overcome that with our talent,” said Berkshire head coach Joni Prots. “With the talent this group has top to bottom, even when we were struggling to execute, we were still able to score or keep (Kirtland) from scoring. It was definitely a battle today.”
The opening set set the tone. After a 6-0 Berkshire surge, fueled by a Jill Smetana ace, Kirtland stormed back on Ellie Spencer’s six-point service run that included three aces. But Berkshire answered again—Smetana hammered a kill, Mariss Rish threw up a block, and then Smetana delivered the clinching strike from the back row for a 25-21 win.
The Badgers’ serving game kept rolling in set two, with Delana Kellogg and Smetana notching aces to build a 14-10 cushion. Spencer tried to will the Hornets back with five kills in the set, but seniors Kate Miller and Rish combined for a decisive kill to seal another 25-21 frame and a 2-0 lead.
The Hornets wouldn’t go quietly. Spencer’s crafty southpaw kill gave Kirtland a 16-15 edge in the third, and a Silvia Ingram block later tied the set at 20. But Berkshire’s balance again rose to the surface.
“We decided we needed to work as a team and show up,” Kellogg said. “We had to hit our spots, be aggressive, and keep trusting each other.”
Kills from Emma Rickelman, Stella Bateman, and Smetana pushed the Badgers to the brink before Rish twice connected with Smetana to close out a nail-biting 26-24 win.
Smetana led the way with 11 kills and five aces. Rish and Ava Chuha combined for 22 assists, Miller added five kills, Rickelman chipped in six, and Bateman stuffed the net with five touches and blocks.
“Everyone talks about our big three, but I think that we are a complete team top-to-bottom,” Prots said. “Even with all of the talent that we have with the seniors, if we didn’t have the other pieces, we wouldn’t be as good. It took leadership from the top, a team effort, picking each other up, and that’s what we’ve needed all year long.”
Kirtland, now 8-3, showed flashes of brilliance despite its youth.
“I think we need to work on keeping our composure,” Hornets coach Ricky Sanders said. “Several times throughout the match, we gave two to three three-point leads by not being composed. Being a young team, it’s going to happen at times, and being able to hang with a team like that, it gives us more confidence when we go back to their place to play them.”
Spencer led the Hornets with 10 kills and four aces. Ingram had five kills and five blocks, while Andriana Grman tallied 13 assists and four aces.
“We have improved since the start of the year. Some of these players don’t have the varsity experience, but they’re playing as if they do,” Spencer said. “There are still little things that need to be worked on, but the more we play and talk about what we can do, it’ll be big for us.”
Berkshire looks to stay unbeaten when it hosts Chagrin Falls on Sept. 19. Kirtland will travel to Crestwood the same night.
