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STEUBENVILLE -- The start the set the tone for the match.
The Catholic Central volleyball team collected the first three points of the first set and did not look back en route to sweeping Jefferson County rival Edison, 25-9, 25-15, 25-6, Tuesday evening inside the Mickey Barber Gymnasium.
The Crusaders also led 3-0 to start the second set, and the hosts built a 4-0 advantage at the start of the third set.
"We played well," Catholic Central (2-0) head coach Sherri Barber said. "We came ready to play. We played Saturday. We opened up against Cambridge. I have got five seniors who are anxious to play. I have five senior leaders. They work really hard. They are a great group. We definitely did not want to get off to a slow start. We play well when we are ahead, and we made sure we stayed ahead."
The Wildcats battled back from a 3-0 deficit in the second set to take an 8-5 lead, but the visitors were unable to keep the momentum going as the Blue-and-Gold rallied to win the set to take control of the match.
"My girls have not had the same lineup in the preseason or in the season," Edison (0-2) head coach Leah Eft said. "All the girls are battling for varsity spots. We have 22 girls, and all of them are battling for varsity spots. They are all in the same space. We need people to rise up to the upper echelon. We have not had any girls step up. The upperclassmen are not taking the initiative . The reason so many freshmen are on the floor is because of that."
"They didn't do anything different than I remember," Eft said. "They were pretty much the same. We have been playing them for a long time. We just have to work on our side. We can't get the ball off our side of the court. We are going to have to get better."
"They're young," Barber said. "They have one girl hurt. This is not like them. Leah is a really good coach."
The victors turned their 3-0 lead in the first set into a 7-1 lead forcing Eft to call a timeout. The Wildcats scratched and clawed their way back into the set as Edison cut its deficit down to just two points at 8-6. Catholic Central responded as the girls in the white jerseys extended their advantage to 14-6 resulting in Eft calling another timeout. The lead grew to 19-6 as the Crusaders went to win the set, 25-9, to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Crusaders jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set as well, however, the Wildcats battled back and tied the score at 3. Edison ended up taking the lead at 5-4, and the Wildcats extended their advantage to three points, however, the Crusaders stormed back and knotted the score at 9-all resulting in another timeout being called. The score was even at 10, however, Catholic Central collected the next eight points to build an 18-10 lead forcing Eft to call a timeout. Edison responded with three straight points, however, the winners pulled away and won the set, 25-15, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
"Last year, at the end of the season, we developed a really bad habit of pushing and tipping the ball a lot," Barber said. "In the summer, we made the rule that on the third hit, we were not allowed to tip. We are not allowed to tip in practice. The third hit has to be a hit. When we did tip or push today, it was because they saw a hole. They did a great job of reading the defense. The last thing I want to do is get into a tipping match. When it is close, a lot of teams do that.
"I want us to keep hitting. The girls did a nice job of tipping because they saw a hole. Serving-wise, it was the same thing."
Catholic Central took a 4-0 advantage in the third set, and the Crusaders increased their lead to 11-2. The lead grew to 22-5, and Catholic Central ended up winning the set, 25-6, to win the match.
For Central, Lilly Balzano had 13 points, four kills, 14 assists and two blocks, Natalie Cherepko finished with 10 points and five kills, Emily Walker registered 10 points, five kills and blocks, Nici Krupp tallied 18 points and Ava Marcino registered 17 points, six kills and 15 assists.
For Edison, Sophia Henderson had four digs and seven assists, Ali Shrieve recorded four kills, Mimi Ault had four points and a kill, Bella Cronin had four digs and Teagan Reynolds finished with four kills.
Edison is scheduled to play Weir Thursday on the road.
Catholic Central is slated to play Beallsville Saturday on the road before playing Madonna Tuesday.
"We have gotten off to a good start," Barber said. "We have beaten two bigger schools. The girls are excited. Their head work is paying off."