VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
A Huge Win Happens at The Sullivan Center
By Bill Bray
TOLEDO – The Fremont Ross Volleyball team got a big shot of confidence Thursday night when they took on the Lady Fighting Irish of Toledo Central Catholic. The Giants came home with a four-set victory for their first TRAC win. Fremont is 5-0 this season.
After a first set loss, 19-25, Fremont came alive in the next three sets to beat the Irish for the first time since joining the TRAC in 2011.
“We haven’t played this game speed in two weeks,” coach Lindi Cahill said when asked about the first set loss. “We just needed to get back to fast paced volleyball.”
In the second set, Ross settled into their game. Picking up action during the set, Abby Cahill served up two aces to give the Giants an 8-4 lead. The score was once again doubled up at 10-5 when the Irish failed to return the ball. Caroline Cahill had a nice block later in the set to put Fremont up 12-6. With an ace by Sydney Weickert, Ross was up 14-7. The Irish, later in the set had a run of four straight points making the score 17-13. “We began communicating better,” Cahill said. “When we pass balls efficiently we are really efficient at the net.” Fremont answered with three straight points including two hits into the net by the Irish and one nice play by Brook Smith giving Ross a 20-13 lead. Fremont then reeled off four straight points that included another nice play at the net by Smith, an error by the Irish and an ace by Abby Cahill taking them one point from victory at 24-15. The set ended with an Irish serve going into the net. With the 25-16 win, the match was tied at one set each.
In the pivotal third set there were six ties as the two teams battled. The Irish seemed rattled during the set putting more balls into the net than an experienced fisherman puts fish. The first tie came at 3-3 after the Irish found the net. The second at 7-7 after a nice serve by Abby Cahill. After a kill by the Irish the score stood at 16-16. That would be the final knot as a nice play by Smith and a pair of kills by Carma Johnson followed by an Irish mistake put Ross up 20-17 forcing the Irish into a time out. After an Irish missed kill into the net, a Jocelyn Hines kill, a nice play by Caroline Cahill and a set ending Kill by Wolf, The Giants were in command winning their second straight set at 25-18. “We rely a lot on what our back row people can do,” Cahill said. “When the back row passes well, we are pretty good.”
On what was the final set, it looked once again to be a close set as the teams were knotted at 13 all. After that point the Little Giants went on a 12-3 run to defeat the Lady Irish for the first time with a final set score of 25-16. The run began with two services aces by Sydney Weickert, along with nice plays by Abby Cahill and Smith.
