LINESVILLE —
There were about 40 minutes left before the start of the varsity girls volleyball match and the parking lots at Conneaut Area Senior High were already completely full.
Inside, the gymnasium was getting crowded as well. Students from both Meadville and Conneaut were decked out from head to toe in their respective school colors and took up about a third of the seats. One fan’s shirt read, “It’s MASH. Not CASH.”
Meadville coach Tammy Webber, after soaking in that playoff atmosphere, asked with surprise, “What is it, Sept. 18th today?”
Well, it’s not every mid-September night that two of District 10’s top Class AA volleyball teams converge for their first-ever region dual match in what is likely to be an intense rivalry for years to come.
And the hundreds of fans who showed up were treated to quite a show.
Meadville and Conneaut battled back and forth all night long. But in the end it was the Bulldogs who were able to rally back from late-game deficits to down the 10th-ranked Eagles, 25-23, 25-19, 24-26, 25-19, and take over sole possession of first place in Region 4.
“I was a little nervous for this game,” Meadville senior outside hitter Monica Jackson said. “I knew it was going to be a good one. But I knew if we worked as a team we could pull through. And we did.”
The Bulldogs were certainly put to the test against the Eagles and it started from the very first set. Meadville and Conneaut went right after each other from the get-go. The ’Dogs did open to take a 13-9 lead, but Conneaut rallied back. And with a service ace by Darian Bodnar and a kill by Challen Litwiler, the Eagles grabbed a 22-20 lead.
As they did all night long, though, the Bulldogs finished. Cadi McCoy put up a monstrous block and Jackson delivered an ace for a 25-23 win and a one-game advantage.
In the second set, Conneaut built a 15-13 lead. But, again, the Bulldogs finished strong. They outscored the Eagles 13-4 down the stretch to win the set 25-19. Leah Jones finished the set with back-to-back aces for the win.
“Serving and passing,” Conneaut coach Tim Schleicher said. “They served better than us. They passed better than us. They were the aggressors. They hustled more than us. They were the better team. They earned it.”
Conneaut had opportunities, none bigger than the fourth game, which the team went into with all the momentum. Conneaut hung on to win an exciting third set that ended on a controversial net violation that led to the Bulldogs being assessed a yellow card by the referee. It was a chance for the Eagles to come out and put Meadville down early.
It wound up working in the Bulldogs’ favor, however.
“I told them to take the feelings they were having, that anger and frustration and focus on it out on the court,” Webber said. “And they did.”
Meadville jumped out to a 13-6 lead in that final set and never looked back. It was a big win for the Bulldogs, who came into the season as sort of the sleeper in Class AA. Fort LeBoeuf was tabbed the favorite during the preseason and is currently ranked No. 2 in the state by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association after winning two tournaments already this season.
Conneaut, too, has been mentioned as a favorite with several of its players coming from the 2011 Class A state champion Linesville Lions.
“I saw they were ranked to win the whole thing,” Jackson said of the Eagles being predicted to win Region 4 in one area newspaper. “I think they thought they had it. But we just played our best and did what we had to.”
For Conneaut, it’s about moving past 2011 and into 2012.
“Last year is over,” Schleicher said. “All three schools … It’s gone. We need to learn how to play in this league and in these situations. If we want to be that type of team and that type of program, we need to learn to play in situations like this. Right now, Meadville does.”
Meadville (5-0, 3-0 Region 4) had an impressive showing at the net led by Jones’ 17 kills and Jackson’s 13. McCoy added seven kills and six blocks. Sophomore setter Katie Newman put it all together with 37 assists. She also had four kills.
On defense, Mylinda Hartnett led the way with 14 digs followed by Jackson with 10 and Jones with nine. Jones tallied five aces as well. Jackson had four service aces.
For the Eagles (3-1, 2-1), senior middle hitter Darian Bodnar had an outstanding night with eight kills and five aces. One of her aces gave the Eagles a 15-13 lead in Game 2 after the team had trailed by as many as four.
Litwiler finished with 20 kills. Kristen Baker had eight kills. Kimmy Litwin chipped in with 10 digs and Hailey Lowery dished out 24 assists.
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H.S. VOLLEYBALL: Bulldogs best Conneaut in Region 4 showdown
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