YOUNGSTOWN — Columbiana acknowledges it has lofty goals to achieve this fall.
With nine seniors and 22 wins under their belt, the Clippers certainly have the credentials to challenge themselves on the court, and Columbiana continued its strong form with a 3-1 win at Cardinal Mooney on Wednesday night.
But that’s not to say the Cardinals didn’t make things interesting early on, taking the first set 25-21, before Columbiana rallied from a 1-0 deficit to close out the match by winning the set 25-13, 25-19, 25-13.
Columbiana (7-0) coach Jen Martin felt the Cardinals (6-2) made things difficult for her team early on.
“Mooney came out strong with a big front row, a lot of hard hitters and great blockers. I thought we played well in the first set but got a little timid. After losing the first set we stepped up a little defensively, got back on the bench and we were able to rally again and get back to our strengths,” Martin said. “We were able to move the ball, make them play a little bit of defense and then we could go on offense.
“These are great kids. They’ve been on the court together since they were freshmen, so I think a lot of them bring great energy and enjoy playing with each other. They’ve been practicing for three years, so this is their fourth year and they’re going to have fun playing. I think they proved that in the second, third and fourth sets.”
Senior libero Ava Heinrich led the Clippers with 12 digs and six aces while flying all over the court fending off a talented Mooney attack, and gaining an early edge on the scoreboard as the match progressed was the difference maker for her team.
“When you have a lead, it gives you confidence and our energy as a team has definitely kept us in the lead so far because we’ve been playing really well mentally. When we’re playing our worst, we have no energy and it’s all in our heads,” Heinrich said. “When we’re playing our best volleyball, we have a lot of energy and we’re really excited for each other and we encourage each other and we lift each other up and that’s really helped us.”
Senior setter and outside hitter Ellie Jackson was also a key member of Columbiana’s rotation, recording a team-high 11 kills, 17 assists and eight digs.
“Losing the first game kind of motivated us a little bit and made us want to come back and try harder,” Jackson said. “Our defense is really good. Credit to Ava, she plays good defense, and we also have Marin (Hepler) and Danica (Halas). Overall, we’re well-rounded.”
“It’s good to compete well, play close games and play as hard as we can all season. I think it’s just about believing in ourselves and having confidence and trusting our teammates.”
Heinrich acknowledged that one of the Clippers’ goals this season is to complete an undefeated regular season, a milestone that will certainly be difficult to achieve, but one she feels the team is capable of pursuing.
“I think we have a lot of great leadership. We have different captains that we send out every game, we have people that contribute all over the court. Some lead by example, some are more vocal about their leadership,” Heinrich said. “We also have some of our younger girls that have leadership roles, like Landry (Smith). She goes out on the court and does a great job and is a vocal leader as well.”
“Last year we were 22-3 and lost our 19th game of the season, which ended our unbeaten streak. It was a tough game and it hurt my heart, but we’re coming back stronger this year and want to win.”
Added Martin: “This group is hard at work. They’re tireless and they’re go-getters. They’ve worked hard for three years. If they play, they can do anything they want.”
Senior Kelsey Cameron contributed scoring with 16 points, nine kills, six digs and four aces. Senior Cameron Perkins had a team-high 18 assists, 11 digs and five kills, while sophomore Landry Smith added nine kills and three blocks.
Mooney was led by senior Brinkley Baer (13 kills), senior Sam Rotunno (16 digs) and senior Jada Lane (four aces, five blocks).
“We know Columbiana is a strong team. We played them twice last year and lost both times. We watched them over the summer and they have a great program with a lot of seniors. We knew they were a tough opponent,” Mooney coach Toni Shaheen said. “We knew we had to give it our all and I think we did that in the first set. We were coming off of a good run from last night (a 3-1 win at Ursuline) so I think our energy just faded away. When you’re good, you’re good and when you’re bad, you’re bad.”
“It’s definitely a learning experience and that’s exactly what I told them at the end. We’re certainly disappointed about tonight’s game, but we have another game tomorrow and we’ve just got to take what we learned from tonight and get better every day.”
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