Two of the best volleyball programs in the state battled against each other Sept. 16 for the second time this season when the Lake Catholic Cougars picked up their first win against the NDCL Lions in their new coach era. Tess Connolly-Alcantara took over the Lake Catholic program after Kara Oster led the Cougars to a 78-8 record and two state titles in her three years at the helm.
Match photos click here.
Two of the best volleyball programs in the state battled against each other Sept. 16 for the second time this season when the Lake Catholic Cougars picked up their first win against the NDCL Lions in their new coach era. Tess Connolly-Alcantara took over the Lake Catholic program after Kara Oster led the Cougars to a 78-8 record and two state titles in her three years at the helm.
On the other side, Lions Head Coach Tom Ray began his 18th season with the Lions. His
team entered the game with a 12-8 overall record, 6-5 in the North Coast Conference.
Back in September, the Lions pushed the Cougars to four before dropping the set 3-1 in Mentor — so they were looking for revenge, riding a four-game win streak and a lot of momentum.
After a slow start in the opening set, Coach Ray was forced to call a timeout, trailing 15-9. Out of the timeout, NDCL junior Audra Smith recorded a kill out of the middle right to cut into the Cougars’ lead. A balanced Cougar attack was led by junior outside hitter Ahnna Bergant (seven kills in the opening set) and senior setter Ava Starr (46 assists in their first meeting), and the offense won the first set 25-19.
Before the match, Coach Ray talked about giving the Cougars a different look with a different lineup. To start the season, the Lions were using two setters, senior Grace Daniels and sophomore Leah Bender. They shared time on the court in their first matchup against the Cougars, with Daniels recording 31 assists and Bender contributing 12.
Ray decided to stick with a 5-1 offense on Thursday, with Daniels having state title experience
earlier in her career.
Lake Catholic jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but a kill through the block by senior opposite hitter Tora Forte finally got the Lions on the board. Junior middle hitter Jane Rottinghaus got in on the action with a kill of her own. Then back-to-back hitting errors by freshman outside hitter Ryann Schneider tied the set at four points apiece.
Back-and-forth the exciting set would go, extending to 30-28 and giving the Cougars one set away from a clean 3-0 sweep.
Much like the first two sets, the Cougars got off to a hot start, jumping out to a 3-0 lead right away. A strong run from the Lions, behind a Lake Catholic service error and back-to-back aces from senior libero Abby Tolin, tied the set at four apiece.
The Lions took their first lead of the match after a double was called against the Cougars. Forte and sophomore Frankie Brkic recorded back-to-back kills and extended the NDCL lead to three, 7-4.
After a substitution was made to the Lions’ lineup, junior Mia Moissis was in the front row to provide a much-needed spark for her team. She finished the match with six kills on 17 swings and three digs.
Brkic ended the third set with a statement kill, and NDCL came away with the 25-23 win.
Unfortunately a commanding 25-18 set four win would end the match, with the visiting Cougars sweeping their rival on the season. Sophomore defensive specialist Maddie Summers
recorded an ace to end the match.
Bergant led the way with 25 kills and a team-high .404 hitting percentage. Schneider added 13 kills, while Layla Kastner pitched in with seven. Sophia Raguz and Kenzie Smith each added five.
Senior setter Ava Starr recorded a team-high 50 assists and 10 digs. Lola Loncar held the Lions’ hitting percentage to just .130 and recorded 38 digs.
For the Lions, Brkic and Forte recorded 12 and 10 kills respectively. Smith added nine
kills out of the middle, while freshman Madeline Rand added six. Tolin led the back row with 29
digs, while Daniels paced the offense with 47 assists.
The Lions fell to 12-9 overall and 6-6 in the conference, while the Cougars improved to
12-10 and 8-4 in the conference. Both teams are preparing for their first round of the state
tournament which begins Oct. 16; the Lions will host Madison, in the first round, while the Cougars will host Keystone. As they have in recent years, both teams can make a strong run in the tournament.
