Cardinal’s volleyball team is approaching every remaining league game as if it were a playoff game.
The Huskies swept Kirtland on Thursday, 25-17, 25-10, 25-19, to improve to 13-4 overall and 9-0 in the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division. Cardinal remains one game ahead of rival Berkshire for first place in the league standings.
“Playing Kirtland is always tough for us,” said Cardinal coach Karisca Chambers. “They have some nice hitters and good blockers. Even though we struggled a bit and both teams battled back and forth, I had complete confidence that we would pull out the win.”
Cardinal won league titles in 2013 and 2014 and split the CVC championship with Berkshire last year. The Huskies aren’t in a sharing mood this season as they are gunning for the fourth straight conference banner.
“We have come so far this season as a team,” Chambers said. “I believe that we show up with the mind frame that we will work hard and that we truly believe we have the skills, trust, and team unity to win. We are just one more step closer to winning CVC again for the fourth time.”
Senior Maddie Bean, who was recognized prior to Thursday’s game for recording the 2,000th assist of her four-year career, led the Huskies with 25 assists and added five kills and seven digs.
“It was greatly appreciated to be honored before the game,” Bean said. “It meant a lot to me that the team recognized me knowing I put a lot of work into getting that record.”
Jordyn Schultz posted a team-high 13 kills and also had four blocks and 22 digs. Trisha Cesar hammered home two aces, two kills and dug eight balls.
Kaitlyn Shantery posted three aces, three kills and seven digs. Megan Zeigler had nine digs and Hanna Traggiai chipped in with three aces and eight digs. Kaylee Klepper posted seven kills and six digs and Faith Peters had two blocks and five digs.
“As a team we keep improving with each practice and each game,” Bean said. “I feel that our team chemistry has come a long way since the start of the season. We are becoming more confident not only with ourselves but with each other. We are playing the best we've played all season and I couldn't be more proud of the girls.”
Katherine Skrbis led Kirtland with 13 kills and also dug eight balls. Emily Nerderman had 21 assists and Anna Shuppe had eight digs and eight kills.
Kirtland dropped to 5-6 overall and 5-4 in league play.
