Edwardsburg wins five set thriller
Published 10:11 pm Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Rachel Bonek, right, goes for a kill against Edwardsburg as teammate Madison Prillwitz looks on. The Eddies edged the Bucks 3-2. (Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK)
EDWARDSBURG — A pair of former Lakeland Conference foes squared off in a five-set thriller Monday night.
Host Edwardsburg edged Buchanan 3-2, having to rally after losing a 2-1 advantage.
The Eddies won the first set 25-20 before being completely dominated by the Bucks in the second set 25-11 to square the match at 1-1.
Edwardsburg and Buchanan battled back and forth in the third set as the two teams struggled to find consistency.
An ace by the Eddies’ MacKenzie Meyers put Edwardsburg up 25-24 and Payton Szlanfucht’s ace gave the Eddies the set and a 2-1 advantage.
Inconsistency continued to plague both teams in the fourth set.
Edwardsburg’s Catie Razzano serves against Buchanan Tuesday night. (Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK)
After tying it up at 21-21 on back-to-back aces by the Eddies’ Lindsay Nunez, Edwardsburg committed three consecutive unforced errors to give the set to the Bucks 25-21 and square the match at 2-2.
Neither team was able to gain control of the fifth and deciding set. The two teams battled through 12 ties, the last coming at 17-17 on a Bucks’ hitting error.
Buchanan committed two more errors to give the Eddies a 19-17 victory and the match.
“Its unearned points,” a disappointed Lisa Holak said of the loss. “We allowed 20 aces in the course of a five game match. That’s ridiculous. You add the young kids playing and that really hurts us. Unfortunately tonight it wasn’t the younger kids that were really making many of the mistakes. I felt our younger kids showed up to play tonight.”
Edwardsburg first-year coach Chrissy Breisch is also concerned with consistency and mentioned unforced errors as something the Eddies must get under control.
“I think I had some leaders step up and I think what pulled us through that game is I have young hitters, so they are going to have unforced hitting errors, which is coming to come with the game,” she said. “But my defense and serve receive was on and that’s what I want and that’s what my team is going to be known for.
“We have been practicing our float serves and they’ve been inconsistent, but we have been getting aces. I think now we are finally to the point that we’re consistently getting aces.”
Edwardsburg d. Buchanan 3-2
Edwardsburg statistics
Aces
Lindsay Nunez 6
Payton Szlanfucht 3
Catie Razzano 3
Blocks
Alexis Blake 4
Kills
MacKenzie Meyers 11
Alexis Blake 9
Razzano 7
Madison Hatkevich 4
Digs
Nunez 35
Hatkevich 31
Assists
Szlanfucht 34
