Lady Mikes fend off West Greene in 3-0 win
ROGERSVILLE — After knocking off Frazier earlier this week, the Carmichaels volleyball squad continued their winning ways in Section 2-A with a hard-fought 3-0 sweep of West Greene Thursday night.
The opening two sets went into overtime, but Carmichaels won both sets 26-24 before pulling away in the final set, 25-15.
The Lady Mikes (2-0, 2-0) ended Frazier’s 86-match section unbeaten streak on Tuesday and coach Ashley Shoemaker knew that her squad had to be ready to move on from that big win.
“Frazier was a huge win for the program, but we can’t let that one game define our season,” said Shoemaker. “I told the girls to celebrate it and have fun with it that night, but we had to move on because there’s plenty of season left. We have a veteran group and the girls were really focus tonight.”
After Carmichaels got out to early leads of 8-4, 14-7 and 17-10, the Lady Pioneers (0-2, 0-2) rallied with a 14-4 run to grab a 24-21 lead in the opening set.
Trailing by three points, the Lady Mikes rebounded with five straight points for the 1-0 match lead. The set ended with a Kristina Aeschbacher block, a Meighan Spishock kill and an ace from Aubree Ferek.
“Every time you are on the road, it’s key to get that opening set,” Shoemaker said. “The set was back-and-forth. We showed a lot of composure and made some key plays for those late points. Our senior leadership has been outstanding and for the most part all of these girls played with each other last year.”
The teams once again battled back-and-forth in the second set and the visitors were able to break away from a 16-16 deadlock for a 21-18 lead after a kill from Aeschbacher.
West Greene tallied four of the next five points and knotted things up at 22-22 after an ace by Cassidy Chambers.
After the teams fought to a 24-24 tie, the Lady Mikes pulled away for the 2-0 lead after a kill from Spishock and a misplayed ball by the home team.
“I told the girls after the game that I think we are more worried about not losing than just winning games,” West Greene coach Eric Bedilion said. “We have an experienced group back and we put a lot of expectations on ourselves. We have the talent and the first two sets could have gone either way. We have to be able to win those close sets.”
It was a seesaw start to the third set and after the teams were tied at 10-10, Carmichaels got separation for the win with a 15-5 run for the section sweep. The contest ended with back-to-back kills from Spischock and Madison Pratt.
Ferek had an all-around solid game for the Lady Mikes, registering 16 digs and 12 service points.
“Aubree has developed into a really good player for us,” Shoemaker said. “She is very consistent and always seems to have a good read on the ball. She is versatile on the court and she’s a great leader. She plays with a lot of heart and desire.”
Aeschbacher finished her night with 13 service points and six kills, while Spishock chipped in with eight service points and seven kills.
Taylor Christopher and Pratt totaled 10 and seven kills, respectively, while Carmichaels got solid games from Jadyn Barnish (17 assists), Grace Kerr (14 assists) and Michaela Ricco (18 digs).
The Lady Pioneers were led by Linzee Stover (eight kills), Lexie Mooney (six kills), Cassidy Wildman (four kills), Bailey Machesky (13 assists), and Hannah Pettit (16 digs).
“We really can’t think big picture,” Bedilion said. “We just have to focus on every Tuesday and Thursday. I think we can compete with anybody, we just have to put it together. We have to communicate better and we have to learn from these losses.”