Canton posts classic five-game comeback victory over Salem

  If the intensity level had risen any higher in the Salem gymnasium Wednesday night, the roof may have blown off.

  In what is sure to be one of the tightest and most entertaining volleyball matches to be played this season, Canton rallied from a 2-1 deficit to nip the host Rocks in five edge-of-your-seat games.

  (To view a video from Wednesday's match, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH0A8hi4Rx8

  Salem took advantage of some early Canton serve-receive issues to pull ahead early, but the Chiefs proved resilient, winning game four, 30-28, before surviving with an 18-16 victory in game five.

  Big-time hitters Nicole Merget (Salem) and Kristen Muir (Canton) put on a show, registering several pressure-packed kills, while their teammates sparkled around them.

  Muir sealed the Chiefs' win when she drove a perfect Jackie Waite set hard into the Rocks' side of the court, setting off an enthusiastic celebration.

  "That felt amazing," said Muir, on her game-ending swing. "Jackie's set was beautiful, perfect.

  "We started out a little slow tonight with our serve-receive, but we picked it up in the end. I think we got the jitters out in the first game."

  Muir never left the court during the two-and-a-half-hour thriller.

  "I'm exhausted," Muir said, smiling, "but I loved every second of it. These are the kind of matches that make me love volleyball."

  In order to better prepare to face Merget -- a 6-foot-4 force who is headed to Division 1 Jacksonville State University on a volleyball scholarship -- Canton assistant coach Harrie denBoer jumped in during practices this week.

  The 6-6 denBoer is a former collegiate player.

  "That helped a lot," said Muir, of playing against a player even taller than Merget. "We learned not to just whale on the ball and to be smart about where we're hitting it."

  Muir had team highs in kills (21) and digs (29).

  Merget was sensational for the Rocks, notching 30 kills, 11 digs and an ace.

  "Canton and us our very similar in that we both have a strong hitter -- we have Merget and they have Muir -- but we struggle a little bit with our second and third hitters," said Salem coach Amanda Nies. "Defense is what really made the difference tonight. We only had four blocks the whole match, which is very low for us.

  "It's still early. I told the girls we'll be seeing Canton again this year. We didn't get the result we wanted tonight, but it will give us something to build on."

  Slick-serving Salem rolled in game one, doubling up the Chiefs, 25-12, in a game that featured few long rallies.

  The Rocks' quick start spilled into game two when they jumped to an 8-4 lead. Canton slowly worked its way back and grabbed its first lead of the night -- 23-22 -- on a Becca Middleton ace.

  Merget deadlocked the match with a sharp kill down the left sideline, but the Chiefs won the game, 25-23, on successive kills by Maggie Deloy and Muir.

  Salem never trailed in game three, winning 25-17. The game's best point unfolded mid-way through when, with her team leading 9-5, Kerstin Johnson hit the deck to make a spectacular dig, which eventually led to an emphatic Merget kill.

  Game four couldn't have been more exciting. After trailing 14-9 at one point, Canton rallied behind the steady play of setters Waite and Lauren Martin; and strong front-row play from Muir and Alaina Turner.

  Leading 27-26, Salem came within inches of putting the match away, but a sizzling hit from Muir nipped the net and found a bare spot in the Rocks' defense.

  The teams then traded points -- Canton's coming on a Tori denBoer kill; Salem's on a nice Jillian Sommerville block -- before the Chiefs seized the game on back-to-back kills by Muir (following a slick Laura Fcasni dig) and Deloy, who was set up nicely by Waite.

  Salem built a 12-8 lead in game five on Katie Vincent's ace, but the Chiefs scored five straight points to grab a 13-12 advantage.

  With the game knotted at 16-16, Canton's Erica denBoer went low to dig out what looked to be a Salem kill. Muir then deposited her 20th and 21st kills of the night to send the Chiefs home happy.

  "I thought we came out super-slow tonight, but the girls really came on at the end," said Canton coach Mary Kryska. "For some reason -- going back to when I played here -- Canton teams have had some anxiety about playing Salem. It seems like we always start the match tight.

  "Salem was strong throughout the entire match. They never let down, not even for a second. When we decided we wanted to play, that's when we turned it around."

  Turner was stellar in the middle for Canton, putting up eight kills and eight blocks. Deloy added five kills, Jordan Tubaro had four while Erica denBoer contributed three.

  Waite (18) and Martin (13) combined for 31 assists. Erica denBoer racked up 24 digs for Canton.

  "Our libero, Laura Fcasni, really came through when we needed her tonight," added Kryska.

  Nies raved about the play of Abigail Dworzanin, who picked up seven aces and 12 digs, and Madeleine Vala, who turned in a 23-dig/seven-ace night.

  "That was one of the best matches I've seen Madeleine play," Nies noted.

  Johnson finished with 19 digs, four kills and two aces while Sommerville shined -- especially in game three -- recording eight kills, four blocks and five digs.

  Senior captain Kerry MacDonald engineered the Rocks' offense expertly, picking up 48 assists, 18 digs and two kills. Lauren Aschermann was solid all night, digging out 10 potential kills.

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.
 

The Rocks come together during a timeout. (Ed Wright photo)

The Chiefs get fired up during a timeout. (Ed Wright photo)

Madeleine Vala completes a pass during the opening game of Wednesday's match. (Ed Wright photo)

Jackie Waite makes an over-the-head return. (Ed Wright photo)

Pictured (from left) are Chiefs Alex Bryden, Erica denBoer and Kristen Muir. (Ed Wright photo)

Salem's Kerstin Johnson lines up one of her two aces. (Ed Wright photo)