MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Sept. 27–Oct. 3)
SWAL VOLLEYBALL: D3 #7 Cuba City 3, Darlington 2
By Casey Lindecrantz, Tri-County Press / Republican Journal
Redbirds push 7th-ranked Cubans to five sets
CUBA CITY — In a game that was previously predicted to be a tough rematch, Cuba City (17–2, 8–0 SWAL) bested the Redbirds (15–8, 5–3) at home, in five sets last Thursday night.
Following their previous matchup on Sept. 5 that the Cubans won, 3–0, Cuba City head coach Keri Lawson stated that, “Darlington has a solid team that will rebound and be a threat in a few weeks.”
Set one of Tuesday’s showdown gave the impression of an opposite outcome, as the seventh-ranked Cubans quickly outpaced the Redbirds to a 12–4 advantage. Darlington slightly outscored Cuba City from that point on, but the Cubans held on to win the opening set, 25–5.
The Redbirds opened set two strong. Jaidyn Evenstad picked up the serve reception, getting good height on the ball. Allie Andrews set the ball to Maddie Gratz, and she spiked an unreturnable ball to Olivia Olson. Gratz scored Darlington’s second point on a block over Ella Vosberg, and Aubrey McCarthy scored the third and fourth points with a pair of aces.
Scoring came regularly for the Redbirds over the following points as they charged to a 9–4 lead. Lawson called a timeout to regroup a struggling Cuba City squad, and her words motivated them.
The Cubans surged, going on a 9–2 run to take the lead, 13–11. Cuba City more than doubled Darlington’s point output over the remaining rallies, as the Cubans came away with the set win, 25–16.
Set three largely resembled the open to the second set — the Redbirds opened with a big lead, 7–0. However, when the squads came out of a Cuba City timeout, Darlington didn’t relent. The Redbirds continued the aggressive play that opened the set, 7–0, and pushed to a 13–2 lead.
The two points the Cubans had in their favor weren’t anything they had a direct impact on, either. The first came when Lilly Ritchie launched a spike that was volleyed to her at the net past Cuba City’s backcourt line.
The second came on a four hit violation from Darlington. Then the Cubans, who only needed one more set win to take home the overall win, staged a comeback, scoring eight unanswered points.
The Redbirds and Cuba City traded blows, until a 22–22 stalemate prompted a timeout from Darlington’s head coach, Danielle Duerst.
Zoie Zuberbuhler popped her serve reception up-court to Andrews, who set the ball for Evenstad. Instead of spiking the ball, Evenstad swatted straight down and to the right, deflecting off a pair of Cubans to give the Redbirds a 23–22 lead.
A Cuba City spike on the next rally deflected off of Evenstad on its way out of bounds to tie the game back up. A netted serve from the Cubans, and an out of bounds spike from McCarthy kept the squads deadlocked, this time at 24 points each.
Ava Hendrickson got her opportunity for a kill on the next rally, and she landed it expertly inside the right sideline to put Darlington up by one point. Zuberbuhler put the set on ice, serving an ace to Cuba City, and bringing the set record to 2–1 favoring the Cubans. The set win also earned her roars from the Redbird bench.
The fourth set was another strong start from Darlington, who opened with a 4–0 run. The Redbirds played with more energy and Cuba City made too many mental errors early in the set. The Cubans did eventually score, but not before Darlington put the set out of reach with a 20–6 lead.
The Redbirds built and maintained their lead through serving, coupled with solid work at the net. Gratz and Ritchie tallied multiple aces apiece in the run, and almost every other Darlington player on the court was responsible for kills. Cuba City went on a small run, scoring five points, but a netted serve put the ball back on the Redbird court with a chance to seal the set.
A block from McCarthy and a lift from the Cubans, left Darlington just two points from sending the game to a fifth set. Hendrickson and Andrews thwarted a Cuba City spike, giving the Redbirds a 24–12 lead. After hitting the ball out of bounds on the following rally, a netted serve from Ella McKinley tied the game at 2–2.
The Cubans opened the final set with a 2-point burst, but an antenna hit from Vosberg got Darlington on the board. Vosberg redeemed herself on the ensuing rally, placing the ball in a hole in the center of the Redbird court. A lifting penalty on McCarthy put Darlington into a 4–1 deficit.
A Gratz spike that sailed out of bounds prompted a timeout by Duerst. The Redbirds came out of the break fired up, and Evenstad kicked off scoring with a cross-court spike that Vosberg couldn’t return.
Gratz had her turn at the serve and sent the ball sailing past the Cuba City back court.A block by the Cubans pushed the deficit to 7–2. Cuba City pushed their advantage by three more points, prompting a timeout by Duerst.
Scores from McCarthy, Ritchie, and Gratz got the Redbirds closer, to a seven-point deficit. Gratz and Andrews met a Cuban spike at the net to climb to a 13–7 hole.Lainey Runde shot a bullet to Darlington’s back court that was just out of Ritchie’s reach to hit match point for Cuba City. The final point featured both squads having a pair of possessions with the ball.
On Darlington’s second rally, a diving Evenstad knocked the ball into the net. It hit the ground before Gratz could reach it, giving the Cubans the win in the set, 15–7, and the game, 3–2.
“The Redbirds had the momentum and the confidence going into set five,” Lawson said. “With our backs up against the wall we needed to simplify the rotation with less subs. This seemed to make a difference and as we took off and never looked back. At this time of the season, it is important to have that gut check,” she added. “It makes everyone step up and play with the necessary grit to come out on top, and that we did.”
Cuba City later routed Boscobel (7–12, 2–6) on Thursday, 3–0 (25–12, 25–12, 25–8).
“The entire team played relaxed and executed at a high level,” Lawson said. “We served smart, stayed in-system and demonstrated efficient net pay. Great work from everyone on the roster to take the three set win.”
The Cubans hosted Mineral Point (18–5, 9–0) in a Pink Out night on Tuesday, host Riverdale (6–18, 2–6) on Thursday, and travel to play in the Lodi tournament on Saturday.
Cuba City 3, Darlington 2
(from Thursday, Sept. 8 @ Platteville)
Darlington.....13 16 26 25 7
Cuba City......25 25 24 13 15
Darlington stat leaders
Kills: Jaidyn Evenstad 16, Maddie Gratz 9, Aubrey McCarthy 7. Blocks: Gratz 2, Allie Andrews 2, Ava Hendrickson 2, McCarthy 1. Assists: McCarthy 23, Andrews 8. Aces: McCarthy 11. Digs: McCarthy 18, Sadie Goebel 17, Zoie Zuberbuhler 10.
Cuba City stat leaders
Kills: Ella Vosberg 14, Summer Rogers 9, Olivia Olson 9, Lainey Runde 7. Blocks: Rogers 2, L. Runde 1. Assists: Isabella Digman 34, Ella McKinley 8. Aces: Eydie Cummins 2, L. Runde 2, Vosberg 1. Digs: Olson 22, Vosberg 16, Digman 12, Cummins 9.
