A Central focus: Central Catholic defeats Central Christian in Regional showcase of two premier area teams
But which Central was the big question, as Tuscarawas Central Catholic (22-4) took on Kidron Central Christian (21-5) for the right to play on for a State berth.
While both teams have had tremendous seasons, and both teams showcase some big hitters and excellent back row play, as well as pinpoint serving, it was the Saints of TCC who would knock off the Comets in three games, 25-17, 25-19, 25-22, to win this Central showcase.
TCC’s experience and depth came into play in the game, and they rode good starts in all three contests to victory.
Following the game, a jubilant Saints squad went over to their fans and thanked them for the great support they showed throughout the contest. Outside hitter and senior Brittany Neidig was in tears following the contest, as her incredible career winds down to what she hopes will be a trip to State once again.
“My friend and former teammate Millie Patchen was here to support us, and she has always been so supportive of me, so it feels awesome to play well and to have her here pulling for us,” said Neidig, who recorded five points, 10 digs and 12 kills in the contest.
Neidig said that coming into the game the Saints were focused on their defense, and in particular their blocking, especially with the power of Sydney Mast in the middle for the Comets.
“That has been something we have worked on all season, and No. 10 (Mast) is a tremendous hitter,” said Neidig. “She was able to hit through our blocks a lot tonight, so that is something that we have to continue to work on, but we will get on it.”
The Saints got things started in all three games by getting out to leads early. All three times the Comets fought back to crawl to within striking distance, but could never quite get over the hump.
The Comets made their biggest run of the night in game three, when, after staking the Saints to a 5-0 lead, zoomed back to take a temporary 15-13 lead. But with TCC’s Madison Bonamico serving, the Saints quickly gained control, reeling off four straight to regain a 17-15 edge. A Sydney Mast kill quelled the Saints uprising, but the Comets never got closer throughout.
While the 22-4 Saints were favorites coming into the Regional at Solon, they knew that the Comets were a highly explosive team that could beat them if they weren’t on top of their game.
However, TCC was, and Kidron could never gain the advantage they sought to get things going their way.
“We watched their video, and we noticed a few things we felt we could exploit,” said Comets coach John Finn. “We felt we could do a few things with our serving but they passed very well. Our serving has been a real strength for us, but I don’t think they had any shanks at all. Our serving and our serve receive have been our strengths all year, and they were better than us in both areas tonight. We weren’t necessarily bad, but they were just better.”
Finn said that despite TCC’s experience and State runner-up title, the Comets were ready to play and were not intimidated or nervous entering the contest. They have played a number of huge matches this season, so he knew his Comets would not be overwhelmed facing this daunting foe.
He said that his team was simply outplayed by a great opponent on this night, in what he called a fantastic night of volleyball for the fans.
“Tremendous effort for both teams tonight,” said Finn. “You certainly think you can always raise your game a little, and we could have raised ours a little more, but we certainly did not lose this game, I feel like they won it.
“Our goal tonight was to disrupt their flow of play, and we couldn’t find a way to do it. It was really no fault of our kids. We did the best we could and TCC just took the measure of us.”
The Saints were paced by Neidig, along with Megan Lawless, who gathered up 16 kills and 20 assists, 11 points, five aces, three blocks, for an all-around impressive game. Sami Beamer added five points and nine digs for the Saints, while teammate Tori Leskovyansky provided four kills, five points and three digs.
For the Comets, Mast had a big night, banging home 17 kills, while Stacy Coblentz recorded 26 digs, Melissa Nussbaum had 28 assists and Sarah Miller recorded seven service points.
The Saints now advance to take on Mineral Ridge (20-7), which defeated Jackson-Milton in the other Regional semifinal.
For TCC, this marks one more step toward a goal that has been posted on their locker room wall long before this regular season ever began.
“We’ve had the State final date marked on our board since mandatory practice began, and we’ve been counting off the days ever since,” said coach Linda Williams. “It has been a singularly focused group that has been very dedicated and united in what we are trying to accomplish.
“Defensively tonight, our blocks didn’t always get closed and weren’t always there, but out back row played really well. Our serving was our key, and has been all season. We served aggressively, but missed very few serves all night. That puts a lot of pressure on a team.
“We knew they had a big middle and we had to shut her down, and in order to do that we had to serve effectively to try to keep them from getting a lot of sets. They played well, but we played a really solid game all-around tonight.”
Published: November 3, 2011
