Siegrist leads as Seahawks hand Wildcats 1st county loss
South River improves to 12-0, but Arundel denies a sixth straight sweep
There’s not a whole lot that Savannah Siegrist doesn’t do on the volleyball court.
Siegrist was among the leaders in most statistical categories Monday night and helped No. 1 South River knock off No. 4 Arundel in four sets in a battle of two of Anne Arundel County’s three undefeated teams in county play. Siegrist had a team-high 12 kills, went 20-for-20 serving with five aces and was second on the team in digs with 17 in the Seahawks’ 25-18, 25-13, 20-25, 25-21 victory.
South River (12-0) improved to 5-0 in county play and lost a set for the first time since defeating Howard County’s Atholton in four sets Sept. 27. The Seahawks had won their past five matches in sweeps and won the first two sets against the Wildcats on Monday before dropping the third.
Siegrist “has a very high volleyball IQ,” South River coach Maureen Carter said. “She knows how to make a shot, she knows where to place the ball and she sees the other side of the court well. She’s been our go-to girl.”
Siegrist, who will play beach volleyball at Jacksonville, got the Seahawks off to a quick start with five kills in the first set. She had a kill down the line to give South River a 21-17 lead, then served an ace on the next point.
Her best serving came in the second set, where she served nine straight points — including four aces — to turn a10-9 lead into a 19-9 advantage. After Arundel won the third set and had an 18-17 lead in the fourth, Siegrist had two kills late in the fourth to help the Seahawks avoid going to a fifth and deciding set. Both her kills late in the set came directly after the Wildcats had blocked her. South River players celebrate during Monday’s game. “We just wanted to come out here and absolutely kill it,” Savannah Siegrist said. “It was a great feeling to do that.”
“We knew this was going to be our best match of the season. We just wanted to come out here and absolutely kill it,” Siegrist said. “It was a great feeling to do that. It was such a team effort.”
Siegrist had plenty of help Monday. Sarah Manderson added 11 kills and went 9-for-9 serving. Her soft tip over the blockers clinched the match for the Seahawks. Emily Speciale went 21-for-21 serving with an ace and added 37 assists, while Savannah Doctor had six kills and five digs and went 17-for-17 serving with three aces. Doctor had a kill to break a tie at 21 in the fourth, Speciale found the corner on a well-placed soft hit and Madisyn Jones had an ace and served out the final three points for South River. Jones finished 14-for-14 serving with three aces and had a teamhigh 20 digs for South River.
“I have a lot more pieces to the puzzle,” said Carter, referring to how this year’s team differs from her recent squads. “I have a lot more weapons, so I can spread it. I even have people on the bench whodeserve to be out there.”
Arundel (9-2) had its five-match winning streak ended. The Wildcats also featured a balanced hitting attack with Alicia Eldredge leading the way with 11 kills and 18 assists. Chyna Gubbings and Mackenzie Meehan (three blocks) each followed with nine kills, and Kiera Holtzclaw added four blocks for the Wildcats, who got back in the match in the third set with their blocking.
“We know that we have a really solid group of girls, they just need to put all the pieces together,” Arundel coach Ashley Yuscavage said. “We just didn’t have a great night and South River did a great job of capitalizing on the things we weren’t doing well.”