Bulldogs take down Panthers in straight sets
Bulldogs take down Panthers in straight sets
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CORTLAND -- The Lakeview volleyball team is back in the district final.
It’s become a common occurrence in Cortland. And after a 3-0 win on Tuesday over Akron Manchester, the Bulldogs have a chance at their third straight district title.
"It just lets our girls know that their hard work pays off, as long as we stay focused and play together as a team," Lakeview head coach Heather Kiser said. "We know that going into Thursday that it's going to be one hard-fought match, with two great teams competing against each other."
The Bulldogs will face Columbiana on Thursday at Canfield High School.
The Clippers took their district semifinal 3-1 over Warren JFK earlier in the day at Lakeview High School.
Lakeview got a chance to see the Clippers up close as the team sat and watched their match against the Eagles. But Kiser said the first-hand experience probably won't play a factor when they meet.
"A coach [coaches] differently for each team that they play," Kiser said. "It's great to see some of their tendencies, but come Thursday, we're just gonna go with what we saw, and hopefully that works."
Lakeview had a 1-0 lead after the first set, setting the tone for a night where there wasn't much resistance from the Panthers.
The Bulldogs held a slight 10-8 lead early in the second set. But a pair of short runs allowed them to increase the lead to 16-9.
Anna Haynie got a kill to give the Bulldogs a 25-17 lead in the second set, and a 2-0 lead in the match.
"Even though we had some mistakes here and there, I think they felt like they were getting into a groove, getting comfortable. They were learning their tendencies and doing what we needed to do to score a point," Kiser said.
The third set started tight, with neither team taking control. But the Bulldogs eventually held a 10-6 advantage and forced a Manchester timeout.
That's when Lakeview's defense started to play a factor. The Panthers were unable to generate any momentum, and with the Bulldogs' length at the front of the net, it wasn't easy for the out-of-town opponent to earn points.
Five consecutive points by Lakeview pushed the lead to 20-11. Three straight points set up the match winner, and Annaliese DeJulio delivered with a kill.
Lakeview took the final set 25-14.
"We really strive to get a touch, try to give our defense a chance to get up and get the ball," Kiser said.
The Bulldogs had a couple challenging games at the end of the season. They dropped two of their final three regular season matches to South Range and Boardman, both of which are still alive in their respective tournaments.
But that prior experience in the postseason is starting to pay off. And now, the Bulldogs have a chance to add another year to the volleyball banner that hangs in their gym.
"We knew going into this that we just had a run a fast offense," Kiser said. "That is something that we do well. When we're in system, we run fast. Our hitters take it upon them to put the ball down, and they're very smart with it."