Dons rally to win city championship
Andrew Grimm CITY CHAMPS — The Madonna volleyball team celebrates after defeating Weir High in four sets to win the city championship trophy on Monday.
Andrew Grimm WINNING MOMENT — Madonna players celebrate after the clinching point on Monday.
Andrew Grimm MILESTONE — Madonna's Sophie Brady was recognized for reaching 2,000 career assists during Monday's match.
Andrew Grimm BLOCKING — Weir High's Alena Mallory attempts to block an attempt from Madonna's Lacy Quering.
Andrew Grimm SERVING IT UP — Madonna's Madison Owens delivers a serve against Weir High.
Andrew Grimm GOING UP — Weir High's Zoey Spencer goes up to attempt a kill past Madonna's Sophie Brady.
Andrew Grimm GOING UP — Madonna's Sophie Brady and Lacy Quering atrempt to block a try by Weir's Ella Kaufman.
Andrew Grimm HITTING — Madonna's Taylor Birkhimer attempts a kill against Weir.
Andrew Grimm CONTESTED — Madonna's Lacy Quering attempts a kill past blocks from Weir's Gabby Sprouse and Zoey Spencer.
Andrew Grimm CITY CHAMPS — The Madonna volleyball team celebrates after defeating Weir High in four sets to win the city championship trophy on Monday.
Andrew Grimm WINNING MOMENT — Madonna players celebrate after the clinching point on Monday.
Andrew Grimm MILESTONE — Madonna's Sophie Brady was recognized for reaching 2,000 career assists during Monday's match.
Andrew Grimm BLOCKING — Weir High's Alena Mallory attempts to block an attempt from Madonna's Lacy Quering.
Andrew Grimm SERVING IT UP — Madonna's Madison Owens delivers a serve against Weir High.
Andrew Grimm GOING UP — Weir High's Zoey Spencer goes up to attempt a kill past Madonna's Sophie Brady.
Andrew Grimm GOING UP — Madonna's Sophie Brady and Lacy Quering atrempt to block a try by Weir's Ella Kaufman.
Andrew Grimm HITTING — Madonna's Taylor Birkhimer attempts a kill against Weir.
Andrew Grimm CONTESTED — Madonna's Lacy Quering attempts a kill past blocks from Weir's Gabby Sprouse and Zoey Spencer.
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WEIRTON -- After dropping the first set to city rival Weir, a team they lost to less than a week ago, it would have been easy for Madonna to get down. Trailing by double digits in the fourth set, again it would have been easy for the Blue Dons to get discouraged.
In both cases, they did not.
The Blue Dons rallied back to win three-straight sets over the Red Riders, including erasing the big deficit and fending off a couple of set points in the match-clinching fourth set, to avenge last week’s disappointing defeat and capture the city championship trophy.
“We’ve been battling through some mental things the last couple of weeks, I think coming back like we did tonight shows we’re figuring it out as a team and says a lot about how we’re fighting,” Madonna head coach Jaedyn Hissam said. “We’re without Geena Birkhimer, who’s dealing with an injury, and we’re figuring out to make it work without a big piece of our team and the girls have done a good job of adjusting. Peyton Conley has never played front row in her life and she was out there making blocks and getting kills tonight. It shows these girls are committed to working as a team and playing hard for one another and doing whatever it takes for the team to be successful.
“Tonight speaks volumes for what we’re working on as a team in terms of sticking together, fighting through the hard stuff and getting where we need to go.
“We had a rough one against them last week, so it was great for us to be able to come back tonight and win the big one. Weir is a very improved team and we know it’s going to be battle, that’s what we like and what makes this game fun.”
The Red Riders took the opening set, 25-17, but early in the second the momentum seemed to shift towards the home team and it stayed that way as the Dons took the second set 25-14 and the third 25-18 to take the lead in the match.
Weir, looking to force a fifth set, scored the first five points of the fourth and led 20-10, but the Dons came storming back, battling all the way back to tie the set at 23-all. Weir got it to 24-23, but could not close the deal as the hosts scored the last three-straight to win 26-24 and take the match 3-1.
“It was quite a rally,” Hissam said. “They rallied for each other and they rallied for our great seniors (Lacy Quering, Abigail Boyd, Danyka DeCaria, Madison Owens and Hannah Dalfol).”
The victory is a key one for the Blue Dons (17-11) as they entered the week sitting No. 2 in the OVAC Class A standings ahead of the cutoff later this week.
Sophie Brady reached a milestone in the victory, recording her 2,000th career assist with more than a season to go to add to that total.
Weir High (7-14) was led by 11 kills, four aces and 12 digs from Ella Kaufman, 30 assists and five digs from Liliana Ascencio, eight kills and four aces from Gabby Sprouse and eight kills, two aces and five digs from Zoey Spencer.
UP NEXT
Weir High: Hosts Toronto on Wednesday.
Madonna: Is back at home tonight hosting Cameron.