By Nicholas Huenefeld
Special to the Sentinel-Tribune
MILLBURY — The top-seeded Lake volleyball team overcame a slow start Thursday en route to a 25-15, 25-8, 25-10 win over Bryan in a Division IV sectional final inside the Flyer Fieldhouse.
Lake (17-6) advances to Monday’s district semifinal against Sandusky Perkins at 6 p.m. in Gibsonburg. Clyde and Bellevue meet in the other semifinal at 7:30 p.m.
“We started out flat,” Lake coach Amy Vorst said. “We didn’t play with energy. I took a timeout and told them they practiced with more energy than they were playing with. They picked it up so I’m pleased with that, but we can’t ever start off that slow.”
The Flyers trailed twice early in the first set, which saw the two teams split the first 18 points. Lucy Boos got Lake going, registering back-to-back aces to highlight a 5-1 run.
Bryan (6-17) remained within two moments later, but a pair of aces from Savanna Saunders and back-to-back terminations from Laynie Meadows and Kennedy Falkenberg highlighted a 6-0 run that pushed Lake’s advantage to 21-13.
Falkenberg added two more kills over the set’s final three points as Lake ultimately closed it out on a 16-6 run.
“I think that our energy went way up,” Falkenberg said of Lake’s finish to the set. “I think it helped that the coaches believed in us, and that Syd Marchetto and Keira Magers were always hype for us. We just brought our energy that we didn’t have (prior to that).”
Lake and Bryan exchanged 4-0 runs to open the second set, but the Flyers got an ace from Calli Conley, a kill from Mylah Vorst and a combo block from Saunders and Vorst to spur a 6-0 run.
A termination from Bryan pulled the visitors within 14-7, but Lake responded with a 9-0 run that featured four aces from Meadows, including three in a row at one point.
“Serving aggressively is definitely part of our game plan every match,” Amy Vorst said. “When they had two serve-receive passers in for almost every rotation, we were either splitting six or going at the one that’s not the libero.”
Similar to the first set, Falkenberg finished off the second frame with a termination as the Flyers closed on a 9-0 run.
“(Kennedy) did a really good job,” Vorst said. “She’s so smart with the ball. She sees when the block comes from the other side, and she tips intelligently.”
Mylah Vorst had two kills and a pair of blocks in the set.
Lake nearly clicked on all cylinders over the first 21 points of the final set, opening up a 17-4 lead following a trio of kills from Magers during a 5-0 run.
In that big start, Vorst had a pair of kills, Meadows had a termination and an ace, Falkenberg had back-to-back kills, and Saunders had a kill and an ace on back-to-back points.
Bryan played better down the stretch, trimming their deficit to as few as 14, but a kill from Vorst finished off the match.
“I think we just got comfortable again,” Amy Vorst said of the unsteady finish. “We can’t do that. We just need a more consistent effort throughout the entire match. We have to start hungry and end hungry.
Magers led Lake with eight kills, while Vorst and Falkenberg recorded seven apiece. Sydney Marchetto (18) and Conley (12) combined for 30 digs, while Saunders (14) and Boos (10) teamed up for 24 assists. Meadows led the way with four aces.
“Our blocking needs to improve,” Amy Vorst said. “We got blocked more than I like. We have a few tweaks to make before Monday.”
