The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Eagles sweep Comets to grab share of title
Avon uses aggressive attitude to avenge earlier loss to Amherst
Amherst had a lot planned for its senior night festivities. Getting swept wasn’t on the agenda.
But that is exactly what happened inside a packed Amherst High School on Oct. 10.
The Eagles flipped the script from their previous meeting on Sept. 14, overwhelming the Comets,
3-0, with a stout defensive front and an incredible offensive attack that left the SWC’s best looking rattled and making uncharacteristic mistakes throughout the evening.
“We talked about having an edge when we play. Sometimes we are so nice, and we talked
about playing with this edge, this competitive fierceness. That is exactly what our kids did,” Eagles coach Julie Bendzuck said. “We minimized our mistakes and we played as a team. I’m not just talking about the kids on the court, but the bench was talking, communicating and active during timeouts. It takes all 14 kids.”
After a late start to the match, the Eagles (19-2, 16-1 SWC) and Comets (20-1, 16-1 SWC) came out with a furious pace, as both teams showed why they are at the Top of the Crop. While both teams were neck-and-neck through the middle of the first set and exerting a tremendous amount of energy on long rallies,
Avon’s Maddy Jerdonek was thriving, racking up multiple assists to go along with a few kills.
“We knew confidence was key because last time we played them they upset us at home,” Jerdonek said. “We knew it was really important to come out strong and to play together as a team and play for, not only our seniors, but our whole team together.”
Jerdonek finished with a game-high 41 assists.
Avon looked like a team on a mission.
Bendzuck was especially pleased with the defensive performance early on.
“Our defense has been phenomenal all year. They’re all upperclassmen except for Alex (Laboy). They are just hungry kids. They don’t quit. Nothing hurts them, nothing fazes them,” Bendzuck said.
Amherst tried to keep it close, but the Eagles’ momentum was evident, carrying them through to a 2521 first set victory.
Comets coach Laurie Cogan had a front row view of her girls’ sluggish start, but remained confident in her team.
“I was not worried. My kids have had some comebacks over this season. We haven’t gone three-andout against everybody so we have had to dig out of some holes,” Cogan said. “I believe in my kids. I have all the faith in the world in them. But tonight was just one of those, I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”
Having lost only their sixth set of the season, Amherst came out in the second set with determination for a comeback. But the Comets were greeted with a powerful opposing offense, including Sydney Stone and Katie Koziarz, who tallied kill after kill, helping the Eagles eventually pull away to an 18-11 lead. They claimed the set, 25-14.
Stone finished with a team-high 13 kills, while Koziarz notched 12 kills.
Despite her team having a 2-0 set lead, coach Bendzuck wasn’t comfortable.
“Not till the 25th point of the third set!” Bendzuck said. “That is an awesome volleyball team. They are well coached and every year we compete with them non-stop. I’m not comfortable until the match is completely over, but things were just going our way.”
The Comets looked angry in the third set, stringing together a couple of points to stay close as both teams battled it out in front of a nervous crowd. Avon’s resilience showed again as they stole back the momentum on a couple of balls that bounced their way and their stellar defense. The score was even at 24 before the Eagles strung together a kill and finally an error by the Comets sealed their fate.
“They (Avon) came in here and they felt like their backs were against the wall. I don’t know that our kids felt theirs were. They came in here and played like they didn’t have a choice to win tonight. I give them all the credit in the world. They did an outstanding job,” Cogan said.
The Comets’ London Voss had 23 assists, while Peyton Jackson led the team with eight kills.
Cogan hopes the loss will be a blessing in disguise as they turn their attention to the season finale at Westlake on Oct. 12 and then the tournament.
“I said, ‘You know, don’t take this as the negative that it seems tonight,’ ” Cogan said. “Plus we realized now if we don’t play our best, we are susceptible to defeat.”
With the win, Avon can still clinch a share of the SWC title. They host BereaMidpark on Oct. 12.
Though her team is elated with the win, Bendzuck wants to keep everything in perspective.
“We still play Thursday, no matter what happened tonight,” Bendzuck said.