GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Troy battles service errors to top Oxford
BY JAKE LOURIM
STUDENT CORRESPONDENT
TROY — The first four points were quick. Olivia Parks’ kill, Nicole Hahn’s kill, Hahn again, then Marcela Sanabria.
Right from the outset, it was clear there wasn’t going to be any hangover from last week’s loss to Lake Orion for the Troy volleyball team.
“We were so close,” Hahn said. “That really proved that were a team to compete against too. We’re right up there.”
The Colts (2-1 OAA Red) bounced back for a four-set home win over Oxford, 25-14, 20-25, 25-21, 17-25.
“We knew this was a team we had to beat,” Hahn said. “We knew we had to come out strong and expect everything.”
The game went back-and-forth all night. As much momentum as one team had, the other team would gain it all back the next game.
That inconsistency bothered Troy coach Vince Muscat after his team’s terrific performance last week.
“It’s a totally different team than you saw last week,” Muscat said. “We’re not going to have matches where all cylinders are going, but I still like to find that in-between area to hang out in.”
Receiving the first serve and blistering it to the floor, the Troy offense rolled through the first part of the match. After the four kills, it capitalized on two Oxford errors and eventually led 11-2 after Parks served up two aces.
Only Parks’ missed serve could give Oxford the ball back, and the Wildcats held it briefly, never serving more than twice in a row. Hahn finished with four kills in the game, and the Troy serve receive was almost flawless, allowing only one ace.
“We’re just a slow-starting team,” Oxford coach Kristi McDevitt said. “They didn’t really do anything special, we just made it look special. We just weren’t in system. Credit to them — they knocked us out of system really early, if we were ever in it to begin with.”
Oxford stole back the momentum in the second game. It did everything Troy did in the first game: start fast, hit well and use errors.
“We just started passing the ball better,” McDevitt said. “Being able to run our offense, that was the fantastic thing about it.”
The Wildcats passed well off the Troy serve and fed the outside for some strong attacks. They also took advantage of four Troy service errors, which stymied the Colts at every comeback attempt.
Oxford surged ahead with two late kills and a Troy hitting error to win 25-17, shifting the match back even. The Wildcats never stopped fighting, but Troy had too much firepower.
The Colts’ leadership showed as they bounced back to win the third game. More serving errors — accounting for Oxford’s first three point s— made the game close, but Troy’s attack was too much for Oxford to handle, most often Parks, who had five kills.
Troy missed six serves — without service errors, the game would have been 23-13.
“We won’t do anything in this league doing that,” Muscat said. “I hope these girls understand that.”
Oxford battled in the fourth set, going up 9-3, but the Colts rallied back despite three more service errors. Hahn had five kills, giving her 11 for the match.
The game was still close at 19-19, but Troy’s leadership took over. Parks, Hahn and Sanabria put down back-to-back-to-back kills to give the Colts control. A block by Hahn and Sanabria finished the game, 25-21, and the match.
Senior setter Lindsay Moeller finished with 35 assists, and her sister, sophomore libero Hannah Moeller, led a back line that surrendered only one ace.
“(Hannah Moeller’s) serve receive was phenomenal,” Muscat said. “Probably her best match of the year in terms of passing the ball.”
(Jake Lourim is a senior at Troy High School and a member of the S.H.P. Media Group / www.northoaklandsports.com Student Correspondence Program. He is publisher of website www.troycoltsportsupdate.com and a member of the Troy school newspaper editorial staff. He can be reached by e-mail at j.lourim@comcast.net)
Category: Featured Articles, High School, High School (M-Z), Most Recently Updated Stories, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Top Stories, Troy, Uncategorized
