Kirtland served up a 3-0 season-opening win at West Geauga on Tuesday.
The Hornets played with intensity and worked together to sweep the Wolverines 25-19, 25-11, 25-21.
“To see the kids come out with the kind of energy they did was terrific,” said Kirtland coach Bob Schenosky. “(Monday) was the first practice all summer where we had the whole team together so it was great to see them come out and play so well front to back. Our servicing was excellent and player to player they played really well.”
Katherine Skrbis picked up where she left off last season and dominated play at the net.
She finished with 18 kills and 10 digs.
“She came out and had a very strong game hitting out of the strong side,” Schenosky said. “She continually put the ball down, and West G is a very athletic team and tough against us at the net. When the net was available she put the ball down and when it wasn’t she made some other plays.”
Skrbis fed off of her team’s intensity throughout the match.
“We started strong as a team and the adrenaline kept pumping,” she said. “It felt great to be back on the court with my teammates. It was the beginning of a new season and we were all hyped to play. We all worked hard in the preseason. It was exciting to see it all come together.”
Krista Robejsek contributed with six kills and seven blocks, Anna Shuppe recorded a team-high 17 assists, four kills and three aces and Elise Frazee posted a team-high 17 digs and also had three aces.
“I thought Krista had an excellent game at the net. At one point they were triple teaming her and she also led the team in blocks, which was great to see,” Schenosky said. “Anna Shuppe, who was setting for us even though she didn’t set for us last year, stepped right in and did an excellent job. She put a lot of those balls in front of Katherine to put down and also had a couple of aces. She moved the ball around extremely well when she was setting to keep West G on their toes.”
Abby Ruckel turned in a strong debut performance with 16 assists, two aces and two kills, Nicole Aveni pitched in with four kills, six digs and five aces and Lilly Kelemen had three blocks and a kill in the win.
“That was Nicole’s first time setting and she played well all-around and had some aces,” Schenosky said.
The Hornets open Chagrin Valley Conference play at Cardinal on Thursday.
