Beavers go on the attack
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EAST LIVERPOOL -- East Liverpool volleyball coach Dan McKinstry knew Beaver Local wasn’t going to play the same way it did in a five-set Potter win on Sept. 1.
“They had 28 attack errors the last time,” McKinstry said. “I told the girls that is not going to happen again.”
It didn’t.
Using a complete-team effort, the Beavers scored a 25-15, 22-25, 25-17, 25-18 victory on Thursday during the schools’ 16th annual Volley for the Cure event.
The Beavers improved to 6-2, while the Potters dropped to 6-1.
Beaver Local senior Lily Schrieber set the pace with 17 kills, 10 assists, 20 digs and three blocks. Senior libero Taylor Pease added 28 digs and three assists. Sophomore Gianna Congrove had three aces, while junior McKinnley Ferry had 10 assists, two aces and 20 digs. Sophomore Katie Miller chipped in three kills, while freshman Olivia Opalenik had 10 kills. Junior Madison Poppelriter had five kills and four digs. Junior Leah Schrieber had four kills, four aces and eight digs. Junior Addie Thurik produced 17 kills, 10 assists, 20 digs and three blocks.
Beaver Local coach Sarah Lowe said her young team with just two seniors had been working to correct those mistakes made the first time.
“We’ve been working on our consistency and our unforced errors,” Lowe said. “That is what got us the first time. We’ve got a young team coming out with a new lineup from last season. That’s what our athletes have been working towards. They are giving their best every day and they proved that tonight as we kept a lot more consistency on the floor.”
Beaver Local displayed a much more energetic style out of the gate on Thursday. East Liverpool also had that energy, but it might have been displaced.
“We were so amped up that the kids got here at 4:30 p.m.,” McKinstry said. “That’s not normal because they didn’t have to be here until 5. It was just a little out of character. It was a learning experience.”
The Potters found their game in the second set after a big rally but Beaver Local closed late and kept that momentum the rest of the match.
For the Potters, freshman Cameron Conley had 12 assists and three aces. Junior Addie Jones added six kills. Junior Hailey Board had two aces, six kills and seven blocks. Sophomore Addi Smith chipped in two kills and two blocks. Sophomore Kendall Martin had two aces and five kills. Freshman Addisyn Boyle had three blocks, while junior libero Taylor Loedding had two aces. Sophomore setter Peyton Tanner had six assists.
The Beavers won 22 matches last season and the Potters 17 but both schools are full of younger talent that are learning this season.
“Obviously I think we always have room for improvement,” Lowe said. “We’re going to continue to work our way up each rung of the ladder. We’re still working on our errors and inconsistencies. We still have have to get our feet stable underneath us. We’ll get there. I’m proud of where we are at, but also I’m also looking forward to where we are going to go.”
“We are further ahead than I thought we would be at this time,” McKinstry said. “We have things to work on but we are making progress. We’ve done some good things, but tonight they took it to us.”
Beaver Local won the jayvee portion, 25-15, 25-18. Macie Bourne had four kills and four aces. Madi Gaydos added 18 digs. Daisy McKnight had five kills and three blocks. Maddie Smith had 15 assists.
For East Liverpool, Maddie Campbell had four kills and Ava Wesney had three aces.
East Liverpool will host Salem on Saturday. Beaver Local hosts Indian Creek on Monday.
GAME NOTES
• The East Liverpool and Beaver Local communities raised money for Jennifer West who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
• Beaver Local will be a part of another ‘Pink Out’ match on Sept. 21 at Buckeye Local.