Lakeview takes down dominant Campbell team in sweep
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CORTLAND -- Ahead of its final two Northeast 8 Conference (NE8) matches, Lakeview put together a decisive nonconference win Monday.
Despite slower starts to the first and second sets, the Bulldogs closed emphatically to beat Campbell, another one of the top teams in the area, in straight sets.
"I think they played really well collectively," Lakeview head coach Heather Kiser said. "I feel like our defense was clicking tonight. They had some big swings, but we didn't let that get in our heads. We just kind of bounced back and went on to the next play. They had some big blocks, and again, my hitters just kind of bounced back and kept being aggressive in going for it."
The Devils jumped out to a 9-5 lead early in the first set, but the Bulldogs responded forcefully, winning 13 of the next 14 points to take an 18-10 lead and force Allen to use both timeouts moments apart.
During the second timeout, the Campbell players walked to the sideline, only to be sent back out on the court and brought back to the sideline with more energy.
Although the timeout had a short-term positive effect, as the Devils won four of the next five points, Lakeview rattled off four straight points to pull ahead 23-14. Despite a similar run by Campbell, the Bulldogs closed the set with back-to-back points to win 25-18.
Neither team could create much separation halfway through the second set and went to a Lakeview timeout tied at 10. After the break, however, the Bulldogs, much like the first set, pulled away.
After winning 10 consecutive points, Lakeview traded a few with Campbell before clinching the set 25-14.
"I think whenever you play, the first, like, five to 10 points, you're kind of feeling out the other team," Kiser said. "You're feeling where they have holes; they're feeling where we have holes. And then once we see where those holes are, we just start hitting those spots. We just start going back on what we learned, hitting spots, making sure we're pressing on our blocks."
During the second set, Lakeview also enjoyed two milestone moments. First, Cadence Esker earned her 100th career ace. Then, Annaliese DeJulio reached 500 career digs.
"The girls work hard day in and day out. They come in, they give me their all, so I want to give them my all," said Kiser, who was honored pregame for hitting 200 wins at Lakeview last week. "Just letting them have those moments to feel like their hard work is appreciated and it's definitely being seen, I think it's just something that helps them."
Buoyed by their enormous momentum, the Bulldogs controlled the third set from its opening. They jumped out ahead 12-4, and despite a few Campbell runs, including a late rally, never let the Devils back within five points as they won the third set 25-18.
"There are a couple instances in the first two sets where, again, we just let them get the momentum and run with it," Campbell head coach Tyler Allen said. "Instead of us making some good plays and controlling the ball and putting the ball away, I think we made some poor decisions. But again, I think they made a lot of good plays as well. It's hard when you're playing a good team like that. You can't give them a free ball because they just control the ball so well, and they can just get to their attack on their offense. Super hard to defend."
Monday's defeat snapped an eight-match winning streak and marked Campbell's second loss this year. The only other blemish on the Devils' 16-2 record was a 3-2 loss to Mineral Ridge, which Campbell hosts tonight in what will likely decide who wins the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Scarlet Tier crown this season.
With its seventh in a row, Lakeview improved to 15-3 on the season. The Bulldogs, who are 8-2 in NE8 play, host Niles today before finishing up their conference slate against South Range, the team that handed them their last loss.
"I think they definitely learned that we just have to play together no matter what," Kiser said of the Sept. 15 loss to the Raiders. "Even if someone takes a set from us or they get a big lead on us, we just have to come back together and play together. The last couple weeks and games and practice, I've definitely seen their cohesiveness come together more. So I just think that they really learned that when times get tough and we're down in the set or down in the match, we just have to lean on each other."