The Hawken Hawks recently won the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division Title when they defeated the West Geauga Wolverines 3-1 in an extremely close and intense match.
The Hawken Hawks recently won the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division Title when they defeated the West Geauga Wolverines 3-1 in an extremely close and intense match.
“We came into this match knowing it was going to be a competitive one,” said Hawken Volleyball Coach Patty Hace. “We saw West G earlier in the season, finished it in three on our home court. But West G has been on the up-and-up the past couple weeks against some good tough competitors, so we knew it was going to be a match to play.”
The Hawks won the first and second sets, 25-22 and 25-18. The Wolverines won the third set, 27-25. But the Hawks won the match by winning the fourth set, 25-22.
“It came down to us trusting each other,” said senior Molly Jared. “We love each other, so we all just had to play together. We knew we could do it.”
Added Zoey Cosgrove, “I think coming back from that third set loss was really key because going to five is exhausting, as everyone knows. We have done it a few times this season.
“I am really excited and proud of our team to push through. It couldn’t have gone any better.”
The Hawks were led offensively by Emily Monachino (17 kills), Molly Jared (11 kills) and Olivia Myers (8 kills). Also leading the Hawks in assists was Cosgrove (26), Monachino (16) and Addie Gardner (4). The Hawks were led in aces by Cosgrove (5), Monachino (3), Gardner (2) and Amelia Zup (2).
Defensively, the Hawks were led in blocking by Monachino with two. The Hawks were also led in digs by Gardner (19), Monachino (16) and Rebecca Rodriguez (12).
On Oct. 13, the Hawks also defeated Chagrin Falls 3-1. Hawken won set one 25-19, the Tigers won set two 25-20, and Hawken won the match by winning sets three and four, 25-24 and 25-15.
With the win, the Hawks had won 13 straight matches. They will try to win their 14th match in a row Oct. 18 when they take on Beaumont.
Coach Hace discussed how her team has been able to overcome adversity and thus sustain success.
“We only graduated one senior last year, so having that full team back — we knew what it (adversity) felt like,” said Hace. “I think that our team has matured because of it. So this year we have been capitalizing more and more on our opportunities.”
West Geauga also returned to action later in the week and defeated the Euclid Panthers on Senior Night, 3-0. The Wolverines won set one 25-19, set two 26-24, and set three 25-15. With that, they completed the regular season at 14-7 and will next play Oct. 18 in the OHSAA sectional tournament against Aurora.
