First set sparks Monroeville to sweep

MONROEVILLE — The theatrics from the start were nothing new. Firelands Conference powers St. Paul and Monroeville matched up for the first time this season Tuesday inside the Monroeville Athletic Complex. And right from the start, it was a classic opening set between the two rivals that featured the usual back-and-forth action over the course of 27 minutes. But it was the host Eagles pulling out the 28-26 win, and from there, the pressure was released for the home team. Monroeville won 25-16 and 25-21 for the key three-set win on Steve Moore Court. Both teams entered the match receiving votes in the initial Division VII state coaches poll. The Eagles improved to 8-2 overall and 5-0 in the FC, and have not dropped a set yet in league play. St. Paul fell to 4-2 overall and 4-1 in the FC with the loss. "I told the kids that was huge in the moment, and looking back it's even bigger," said Monroeville coach Kendra Snook of the first set. "We had the lead, and they took it and had set point. "So for us to hold our composure there was really big. We do that in practice a lot with those situations, and for them to have that focus and really play that great defense was huge." Monroeville went up 21-19 in the first set off a big swing from Madi Reiber. It was still 22-20 when Alexa Adams put down a big hit at the front of the net. But St. Paul got back in it on a net violation on the Eagles, followed by a block at the net. When the Eagles hit a ball long and out of bounds, the Flyers suddenly led 23-22. A block that went off a Monroeville player out of bounds then pushed the lead up to 24-22 and the Flyers had set point. But a mis-hit on St. Paul set up a service ace by Kaci Poths to make it a 24-24 tie. Then a block at the net gave the Eagles a 25-24 lead, only for St. Paul to answer and tie it up at 25. Still tied after trading points, Alexa Adams gave the Eagles a 27-26 lead with a kill, then the Flyers were whistled for a net violation for the 28-26 Monroeville win. "We have to learn how to be confident and play well on the road," St. Paul coach Angie Kalizewski said. "We have to learn to be confident in ourselves and our position, and do what we need to do at match time. But it's early, and it's OK. "It's the right time to take a loss, and it's good to see someone challenge you the way Monroeville does. We saw two good teams digging the ball really well… we'll take things from it." In the second set, there wasn't much drama as the Eagles rolled out to an 8-1 lead. St. Paul was able to cut into the deficit and make it 17-12, but then Monroeville took charge. Gabby Loose put down a kill off a St. Paul block, and some unforced errors pushed the lead out to 23-15. It was simple trading of points from there in the 25-16 win. "I thought we had a great serving plan and our kids executed it very well to get them out of system," Snook said. "It allowed us to control the tempo on our side. When we can do that, all of our hitters get involved. "Our kids were using our voices and we got a lot of one-on-ones because of that." In the third set, it was a tight 12-11 Monroeville lead when it reeled off six straight points to gain the 18-11 edge. Down 21-13, the Flyers scored five of the next six points, including an ace by Kate Stieber, to pull within 22-18. But an unforced error and an out of bounds hit pushed the lead back to 23-19, and the Eagles were able to close the door, not allowing the Flyers to get closer than three the rest of the way in the 25-21 win. "I'm really proud of our kids' ball control," Snook said. "We serve received very well and got to a lot of touches on their block, which allowed us to still attack offensively — even when they got the ball back." For Monroeville, Reiber finished with 14 kills, seven digs and served three aces. Alexa Adams had 11 kills and seven digs, while Ady Adams finished with six kills and two blocks. Addison Lyons finished with 28 assists and seven digs, while Poths had 10 assists and seven digs. Haylee Morman added six kills, while Addison Homan had 36 digs, and Maddy Miller contributed 13 digs. Both teams take to the road Thursday when Monroeville visits New London and St. Paul travels to Crestview. For St. Paul, Ella Kalizewski had eight kills, followed by Stoll and Cassidy with seven each. Lily Cuturic had 27 digs, and Annie Friend had 22 assists and seven digs. Bella Guerra served 10-for-10 with an ace and had eight digs for the Flyers. Stieber was 13-for-13 with an ace. "We made a push late in the second and late in the third, and you can't do that against a very good team, and that's what Monroeville is," Kalizewski said. "They served way more aggressively than us, and we have to get better. "We know what we have to do, now it's a matter of doing it. It's early, and now we know what to focus on."