Park outlasts Weir in five-set battle
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WHEELING -- Wednesday night's high school volleyball match between Weir High and Wheeling Park was one of those where neither team deserved to lose. However, as is the case, one had to despite both giving everything they had.
The Patriots (2-2-1) avenged a two-set loss to the visiting Red Riders (4-3) during the The Country Roads Classic at Oak Glen over the weekend with a back-and-forth five-set victory inside the Palace on the Hill. The scores were 25-16, 14-25, 25-16, 23-25 and 15-12.
"I think we've just been working really hard and we've gotten better," Wheeling Park head coach Samantha Gentle said of the turnaround from Saturday. "I have some kids that haven't played up to their expectations, but they've worked with their setter and tonight they did a very good job..
"I thought my girls really battled and that was good to see," Gentle added. "Hopefully this is something that can build for down the road. I was really excited for the girls."
After splitting the first four sets, the teams alternated points in the fifth set until Wheeling Park took the lead for good at 9-8 off a thundering kill from Lily Brinker. Lexi Irwin served three points as Brinker and Delaney Randolph recorded kills for a 12-8 lead.
Weir pulled to within 13-12 on a blistering kill by Maleea Faulks, but a block by the Patriots' Italy Schroeder gave the hosts match-point. After several volleys, a Red Riders' return sailed long on the end line to give Wheeling Park the redemption win.
"We knew coming in here that we were going to have to play hard," Weir head coach Francesca Capaldi said. "Both teams played really, really well. I thought we had some mistakes in key situations. I think that's really what hurt us."
The first set was about runs as Wheeling Park bolted to a 10-4 lead but watched Weir battle back to draw even. With the Patriots holding an 19-16 lead, Randolph reeled off the final six points from the service line, including two aces, and a kill by Tiarah Sutphin finished a 25-16 triumph.
Weir pulled away in the middle portion of the second set and relied on the athletic play of libero Janai Turner and front-liner Brayley Lash for a 25-14 win.
Wheeling Park snapped an 8-all deadlock in the third set with a 10-2 spurt for an 18-10 lead en route to a 25-16 nod.
The Red Riders rallied from an early 10-5 deficit in the fourth set for a 14-all stalemate. The set was knotted four more times - the last at 23 - before a perfectly placed left-handed shot by Lash gave the visitors a 24-23 lead. Elle Maley's tip forced a fifth set.
Irwin led the Patriots on the state sheet with 38 receptions and 29 digs. Campbell Hughes added 26 assists, two more than Gracyn Davis. Schroeder finished with six kills and three blocks, while Sutphin had five kills and a trio of blocks. Brinker finished with 18 kills and Grace Tamburin charted 11. Randolph had five aces.
For Weir, Turner was all over the floor, literally, as she came up with 44 digs. Amalia Kirlangitis had 15 assists and 11 digs, while Marissa Mascio chipped in 10 digs and a dozen kills. Lash finished with 10 kills, five blocks and four digs. Faulks contributed 13 kills and half-a-dozen digs. Maley blocked six shots and Kylie Dean had 16 assists and five digs.