Never a dull moment

Canton outlasts Plymouth in instant classic KLAA South volleyball match

  If you're a fan of thrill-a-second roller coasters, you would have loved Tuesday's Canton-Plymouth volleyball match.

  In a contest packed with all the thrills of a spin around Cedar Point's Millennium Force, the Chiefs earned a memorable five-game victory, 25-16, 25-22, 18-25, 17-25, 15-10, to improve to 3-1 in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association's South Division.

  Plymouth, which turned in a valiant effort while erasing an early two-game deficit, is also 3-1 in the division.

  The Wildcats built a 5-0 lead in the decisive game five, but Canton rebounded behind the strong play from Kristen Muir, who finished with 13 kills, 21 digs and six aces.

  "We came out strong and ready to play in the first game," said Canton coach Mary Kryska. "Everything seemed to click as far as communication, confidence and Jordan Kielty's hitting in the first game. We found the open spots and played aggressive, smart volleyball.

  "We came out strong in the second game and toward the end thought we had an easy win until Plymouth came out strong and was not going to give up early."

  Plymouth coach Kelly McCausland found solace in defeat by her team's resilience in the face of its seemingly insurmountable early deficit.

  "The girls had a 'refuse to lose' mentality in games three and four," McCausland said. "We came out strong in game five, but a couple of crucial kills by Kristen Muir gave Canton the momentum.

  "Overall, it was an intense and exciting match."

  Kryska was especially pleased with one aspect of her team's play.

  "Our blocking has improved as we focus on that in practice," she said. "We had 12 blocks tonight, which is usually how many we get in an all-day tournament."

  Joining Muir in the impressive-stats category were Kielty, who registered 19 kills, 19 assists, two solo blocks, 23 digs and one ace; Alaina Turner, who racked up 10 kills, one solo block and seven block assists; Traci Breitmeyer, who dished out 22 assists; and Lauren Macuga, who had a team-high 34 digs.

  Plymouth was bolstered by the elevated play of Dani Risi (12 kills, six aces), Kayla Bridge (12 kills, 26 digs), Lindsay Stemberger (16 digs) and Katie Salo, who distributed 35 assisted while digging out 14 balls.

  McCausland praised the third- and fourth-game blocking exploits of Kelly Smoltz (11) and Jessica Scott (four).

 

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