GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Palazzolo-led Eisenhower outlasts Stoney Creek in five-set thriller
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
SHELBY TWP. — When in doubt, Utica Eisenhower has a simple philosophy.
Go to Sydney Palazzolo.
The 6-foot-2 middle hitter slammed 40 kills Monday night, and was at her best in Game 1, Game 2 and the deciding Game 5 in leading the fifth-ranked Eagles to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Rochester Stoney Creek in a Division 1 pre-district contest.
Eisenhower held off a fierce Stoney Creek rally, 25-23, 27-25, 18-25, 23-25 and 15-7 in a match that took 1 hour, 49 minutes to complete.
Committed to Division I High Point University, the Miss Volleyball candidate was too much for the Cougars to overcome. Stoney Creek, which had eliminated Eisenhower in district play the past three seasons and was listed as honorable mention in the D-1 state rankings, simply could not block her consistently enough to get past the Eagles.
Palazzolo was 68-for-79 attacking and 50.6 percent of her attacks finished with a kill for the Eagles.
Eisenhower swept Stoney Creek 3-0 in a mini-tournament back on Oct. 7, but the Eagles have not defeated the Cougars in state tournament play since 2016 — also the last year Ike captured a district crown.
“My team plays with a lot of energy,” said Palazzolo. “If they (feed) off that when I (hit a kill) that’s great. I thought we played really amazing. Stoney Creek has been our rival the past four years, and this is our first year beating them (in my career), so we’re super ecstatic about that.”
Eisenhower coach Caitlyn LaPratt fully understands the weapon she has on the court in Palazzolo and the well-rounded squad she has behind her top-flight player.
“She’s an amazing volleyball player, and there isn’t a single person that I’ve seen that can dig up her balls when she’s hitting and she’s on,” said LaPratt. “She can be so dominant.”
Even in defeat, Stoney Creek coach Ross Talbot was not ashamed in going down against the likes of Palazzolo and a talented Eisenhower team — which is having perhaps its best season since first launching its volleyball girls program back in the 1970s.
“That is what high school volleyball is all about,” he said. “That was lights-out postseason volleyball. In all of my 15 years of coaching, this is one of the best matches I have ever been involved with. I told their coach that’s probably in the top three, or the best match I’ve been involved with. Someone had to lose, but from a volleyball standpoint it was a great match. Hats off to Ike. They’re playing well. Palazzolo is a stud. We couldn’t stop her.
“We stopped runs there in the (third and fourth sets). We’ve been known all year to give up runs. We grew up a little on the court tonight,” continued Talbot. “One point here or there, we win the match. I think some of our hitters got a little tired at the end. We were getting a little predictable. Sydney Tomlak had a great game and we went to her a lot. They started to anticipate that and tried to block her. But I’m not upset. We played great and we were only a couple of plays here and there from winning this match.”
Eisenhower (22-3-0) staved off the Cougars in first two sets, while Stoney Creek (19-9-0) rallied back to grab the third and fourth games to force the fifth set.
In the fifth game, Palazzolo had four kills, including the 14th point, while Chloe Cole provided the match-ending kill for the Eagles.
The two teams were locked at 6-6 before Eisenhower closed with a 9-1 run. Kira Buza had two kills and Maddy Mets also had a kill in the match-clinching run. Palazzolo’s service point broke the 6-6 tie and started the run.
“We were saying in the huddle, ‘Let’s give it our all — use all our energy for this last set,’” said Palazzolo, giving credit to her teammates beyond her own stellar play.
“Everyone stepped up today,” said LaPratt. “I think any team plays well when they have the lead, us especially. And that fifth set is all momentum. We were able to build some momentum.”
Behind Palazzolo, Angelena Tripi dished out 53 assists and 12 digs, Buza supplied nine kills, Cole slammed seven kills with nine digs, and Abbey Biermann scooped up 29 digs for Eisenhower.
Tomlak led Stoney Creek with 23 kills, while Emma Byer added 15 kills and Ainsley Guse contributed 12 kills for the Cougars. Lindsey Stration served up three aces, Kiera Shanahan added 15 digs, and Ella Markevics had 49 assists and 11 digs for Stoney Creek.
Utica Eisenhower will face Romeo at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the district semifinals at Rochester, while Rochester Adams will tangle with the district host Falcons at 7 p.m. in the other semifinals match.
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