Frazier wins first showdown with Mapletown
Mapletown鈥檚 Ella Menear tips the ball over Frazier鈥檚 front line during Tuesday night鈥檚 volleyball match at Henry Divirgilio Fieldhouse. Menear had 15 kills and 15 digs but the Lady Commodores won, 3-1. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Mapletown鈥檚 Krista Wilson smacks one of her 15 kills during Tuesday night鈥檚 volleyball match against Frazier at Henry DiVirgilio Fieldhouse. Wilson also had 12 digs, but the Lady Commodores won, 3-1. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Mapletown's Riley Pekar digs a Frazier shot during Tuesday night's volleyball match at Henry DiVirgilio Fieldhouse. Pekar had 16 digs but the Lady Commodores won, 3-1.
Bailey Rafferty sets the ball for Mapletown during Tuesday night's volleyball match against Frazier at Henry Divirgilio Fieldhouse. Rafferty had 30 assists and 15 digs but the Lady Commodores won, 3-1.
Mapletown's Ella Menear follows through on one of her 15 kills against Frazier during Tuesday night's volleyball match at Henry Divirgilio Fieldhouse.
Mapletown's Krista Wilson sets the ball during Tuesday night's volleyball match against Frazier at Henry DiVirgilio Fieldhouse.
Frazier's Jensyn Hartman (33) and Mapletown's Miranda Fox (11) battle at the net during Tuesday night's volleyball match at Henry DiVirgilio Fieldhouse.
Mapletown coach Christy Menear shouts instructions to her team during Tuesday night's volleyball match against Frazier at Henry Divirgilio Fieldhouse.
PERRYOPOLIS 鈥� Frazier had its way with visiting Mapletown early on in their Section 2-A girls volleyball showdown on Sept. 27.
The Lady Maples finally came alive in the third set but the Lady Commodores held on for a 3-1 victory in a battle between unbeaten teams for first place at Henry DiVirgilio Fieldhouse.
Frazier won by scores of 25-18, 25-14, 22-25 and 25-22.
鈥淚 kept telling my girls they鈥檙e going to wake up,鈥� Lady Commodores coach Mandy Hartman said. 鈥淎nd you see, they did.鈥�
It was too little too late, however, for Mapletown, which won the section championship a year ago.
Jensyn Hartman led the way with 29 kills for the Lady Commodores (7-0, 8-0) and Braylin Salisbury contributed nine kills, 20 service points and two blocks. Frazier also got 29 assists from Gracen Hartman, who played through an injury.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be more proud of them,鈥� coach Hartman said. 鈥淭hat was a tremendous team effort. We鈥檙e playing with some injuries right now and the girls really rallied around each other.
鈥淚 love our aggressiveness. Everything that we鈥檝e been trying to accomplish, with all of our hitters involved and our defense really taking pride in what they do, they did tonight.鈥�
The Lady Maples鈥� early problems were of their own doing, according to coach Christy Menear.
鈥淲e made way too many unforced errors in the first set and the second set,鈥� Menear said. 鈥淲e had to reduce those to allow us to be competitive and that鈥檚 what happened in that third and fourth set.鈥�
Mapletown (6-1, 7-1) rose up and took a close third set and the two battled back and forth in the fourth set.
With the score tied 22-22 after a kill by the Lady Maples鈥� Ella Menear, Grace Vaughn came through with consecutive kills to help the Lady Commodores close out the match.
鈥淗ad we not had all those early mistakes we probably would鈥檝e been able to get to a fifth set,鈥� coach Menear said. 鈥淚 liked our chances if we could鈥檝e won that fourth game.鈥�
Hartman was glad her team was able to avoid prolonging the match.
鈥淚 think they understood the importance of that fourth set,鈥� Hartman said. 鈥淎ny time you win the first two and then lose the next two, that鈥檚 a hard thing to overcome because at that point you鈥檝e lost all the momentum. I didn鈥檛 want that to be the case. I told them we have to win it in this set.
鈥淲e were fighting some injuries tonight and I knew we could only go so much longer. My kids are banged up.鈥�
Frazier got contributions across the board, including 19 digs from Molly Yauch, 14 service points from Madison Stefancik, five kills from freshman Madelyn Salisbury and two blocks from freshman Addison Schultz.
鈥淢olly is so stable back there for us,鈥� Hartman said. 鈥淵ou take it for granted what she does a lot of the times, we鈥檙e just so used to it. But she鈥檚 where our offense starts. She鈥檚 only a junior and she鈥檚 having a great, great year.鈥�
Hartman commended her team鈥檚 blocking, also.
鈥淥ur blockers, even with our freshmen, they鈥檙e doing an outstanding job,鈥� Hartman said. 鈥淭hey love to block and that鈥檚 what I love about them. They take a lot of pride in it. They know that鈥檚 their job and they鈥檙e doing it well.鈥�
Ella Menear, the coach鈥檚 daughter, paced Mapletown with 15 kills and 15 digs and Krista Wilson followed with 15 kills and 12 digs.
鈥淓lla hit the ball well tonight,鈥� coach Menear said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 serve the ball as well as we normally do. We鈥檙e normally a 91-percent serving team and we were well below that tonight.
鈥淒efensively, once we adjusted we were able to defend the ball and dig some on 33鈥檚 (Jensyn Hartman) shots.鈥�
Bailey Rafferty added 30 assists and 15 digs for the Lady Maples who also got 16 digs from Riley Pekar.
Frazier now sits alone stop the standings with Mapletown second and Carmichaels (4-2) third.
鈥淚 told them yesterday this is a huge match,鈥� Hartman said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 afford to make the silly errors that we鈥檝e been making because this is a great team.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure it鈥檚 going to be just as heated when we go there at the end of the season.鈥�
Both teams continue section play Thursday with the Lady Commodores at West Greene and the Lady Maples hosting the Lady Mikes.
鈥淲e love to play competitive, fundamental, respectful teams,鈥� Menear said. 鈥淲e know we have them again at our place later. But right now we have Carmichaels on Thursday. We鈥檙e back in the gym, we鈥檙e going to work on reducing our mistakes in order to beat them.鈥�
The section race isn鈥檛 over yet for the defending champs, Menear pointed out.
鈥淭here鈥檚 still a whole lot of volleyball to be played for that to be determined,鈥� Menear said.