Royals rebound to sweep Erie Mason

Blissfield rebounded from its first LCAA loss of the season in convincing fashion Wednesday night. Playing a game that was rescheduled after last week’s power failure, the Royals hosted Erie Mason one night after getting swept at Onsted.

The Lady Royals (12-5-3, 3-1 LCAA) took it out on the Screaming Eagles, sweeping their LCAA rivals 25-21, 25-15 and 25-19.

“I feel better than last night,” said coach Sandi Porter after Wednesday’s win. “I thought we did a better job communicating and playing like a team.”

The offense was keyed by big hitters Ashley LaRoy, Celia Coopshaw, Zoe Brennan Megan Knierim and Laura Goetz. Defensively, Taylor Jacobs and Renee Cantrell handled nearly everything the Screaming Eagles hit their way.

“Our serve receive was very good. Taylor played a great game defensively and Renee really moved her feet in the back row. We were much better in the back row,” Porter said. “Our passing was much better. Our hitters look better when Taylor doesn’t have to run all over the place to set the ball.”

When the game started, it looked like the Royals might still be thinking of the previous night’s loss to Onsted. Moments into the game, down 8-3, Porter called timeout to wake up her girls. Blissfield score the next three points and seven out of the next eight points to take a 10-9 lead. During the four point run, LaRoy landed consecutive kills and Goetz fired an ace. The Royals coughed up a 16-13 lead and found themselves down 17-16 before taking four of the next five points, thanks in part to back-to-back kills by Brennan. The pesky opponents wouldn’t give up, though, rallying to tie the score at 21. Blissfield prevailed, however. Captain LaRoy’s spike found the floor to put the Royals ahead for good. After a Mason miscue, LaRoy fired off two straight kills to seal the win.

The Royals’ best game of the evening was the second game. Down 6-4, Blissfield took nine of the next 10 points. During the run, LaRoy dropped three kills, Knierim found the floor with perfectly placed tip, and Goetz and Knierim fired aces  as Blissfield took a 15-7 lead. After three straight Mason points, Blissfield scored the next five. LaRoy dropped two kills and scored with a tip and Coopshaw blasted a spike during the run as Blissfield took a 20-10 lead and cruised to the easy 25-15 victory.

The Royals weren’t as sharp in the third game. They were down 5-2 early and responded with a four-point run in which Goetz and Knierim landed spikes and Coopshaw served up an ace. From there on, Blissfield would edge ahead, only to see Mason climb back into the game. On two different occasions, Blissfield built three point leads and watched Mason take the points right back. With the scored tied at 17, Blissfield took control for good.

Brennan, who played one of her best games of the season, zipped a shot through the defense for an 18-17 lead. Knierim followed with a kill. After a Mason miscue, LaRoy landed a spike. Goetz followed with two straight kills for a 23-17 lead. After a Mason point, Brennan landed another kill and the Royals went on to win 25-19.

Notes:

At one point during the game, Taylor Jacob fed Celia Coopshaw with a nice pass. Coopshaw jumped up, ready to pound the ball when she saw the two Mason girls jumping on the other side of the net. Coopshaw niftily tipped the ball to an open spot on the Mason floor, just in bounds, for the point. It was a great play. So it was odd to see her turn around and face a glare from coach Porter. Coopshaw looked sheepish, and said “Sorry, but I had to.” After the game, Porter said that Coopshaw has been told she’s not allowed to tip the ball. “She’s a powerful hitter. We need her to be a strong hitter. She changes the game when she’s swinging. The girls on the other side of the net are afraid of her when she’s swining.”

Blissfield lost at Onsted the night before, 18-25, 21-25 and 24-26. Taylor Jacob had 10 assists, three kills and nine digs. Zoe Brennan had five points, eight digs and three blocks. Laura Goetz and Celia Coopshaw each struck for eight kills.