The Lakeland volleyball team played host to the Lorain County Commodores in OCCAC action tonight and came away with a convincing 3-0 (27-25, 25-19, 25-10) win. In set one, the two teams battled as both teams played strong defense to force longer rallies with neither team giving in. The teams tied each other at 2, 6, 8, 9, and 10 before the Commodores took advantage of Lakeland's unforced errors to gain a 15-11 advantage. The Lakers would fight back immediatey though as Taylor Williams-Stevens would smash a kill though the Commodores defense. The next play featured a long rally with both teams making great plays to keep the ball alive before the Commodores flinched first - hitting the ball long. Sydney Park would then make a strong play at the net blocking the ball and gaining a point to bring the Lakers within one at 15-14. The two teams would trade points before the Lakers continued to play strong defense which led to another Commodore mishit to knot the score at 16. Lakeland would then committ a couple of errors briefly allowing the Commodores to gain a 21-17 advantage. Again the Lakers fought back as Sydney Park hit a kill and an ace around a long hit from Lorain to make the score 21-20 in favor of Lorain. After a Lorain sideout, Park would hit a backrow kill.  On the following play, Taylor Williams-Stevens got a kill to tie the score at 22. The teams would then have another long rally before Lorain finally made an unforced error to give the Lakers the lead. Alyssa Lino then stepped up and served an ace to put the Lakers on the brink at 24-22. Following a Commodore sideout, Lorain would follow with an ace and the score was now tied at 24. Abby Karasek then made a big play as she struck a kill for a 25-24 lead. Following a Laker error, Isabella Schulz hit a kill to put the Lakers up 26-25. The teams would continue to battle as both teams continued to make fantastic digs and strong plays at the net. On the games final play, Lorain attempted a kill only to have Zoe Babnik make another outstanding dig. Samantha Winter then made a perfect set to Taylor Williams-Stevens who blasted the ball thru the Commodore blockers for the win.

At times this year, Lakeland has sometimes relaxed a bit after taking a lead on an opponent. Tonight was not that night. In game 2, Isabella Schulz got the Lakers going by blasting a kill on the opening play. Gianna Biondolillo would mix in some strong serves, including an ace, and Taylor Williams-Stevens would score consecutive points on a block and a kill as the Lakers grabbed an early 5-1 lead. From there, the teams would trade points until the Lakers led 15-11. Winter and Williams-Stevens would then combine for a block and a point before a Lorain error and an Alyssa Lino kill grew the Laker lead to 18-11. The teams would then continue to exchange points until the Lakers closed out the set with Isabella Schulz and Taylor Williams-Stevens hitting kills.

In set 3, the Lakers continued to strike early and often. Taylor Williams-Stevens, Sydney Park, and Isabella Schulz hit kills early while Samantha Winter served an ace to stake the Lakers to an early 7-3 lead. Lorain then made a few unforced errors to put themselves in a deeper hole. Abby Karasek struck another kill while Alyssa Lino mixed in some controlled tips for points and the Lakers lead stood at 15-4. The teams would trade points with Mikayla Polefko chipping in a pair of kills for the Lakers. Lakeland finished the game with their patented play for the evening -  another fantastic dig (Isabella Schulz), another strong set (Samantha Winter), and then a blast (Taylor Williams-Stevens) that busted through the Lorain blockers.   

Player of the Game: Isabella Schulz

Coach Watts' Word: "I was really pleased with how well we played together. The team had a lot of fun out there tonight - it's great to see them smile and enjoy the game. I was really pleased with how we handled some adversity with a tight first set  - and then didn't let up and actually progressed as the evening wore on. We've grown so much as a team - I'm really proud of them."  

Next Up: The Lakers will play host to the Edison State Chargers on Friday (10/24) night at 6:00 pm. Lakeland then concludes the regular season on Saturday (10/25) when they play host to the Clark State Eagles at 11:00 am.  Saturday's game will also be Sophomore Day for the Lakers. Admission is free - come support your team!