The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Fairview continues to be leader of the PAC
Warriors’ sweep of Lutheran West marks 28th straight win in league action
Fairview has officially put a stranglehold on the Patriot Athletic Conference title race.
The Warriors (15-3, 12-0 PAC) earned their 28th straight PAC victory as they swept three-time champion of years past, Lutheran West, for the second time this season in a rivalry matchup at Lutheran West on Oct. 2.
The win marks the 13th in a row overall for the Warriors, who have been on another torrid pace after entering conference play. Some matches close, some not, but all of them with the same result.
“They just come out and do it consistently every night,” Fairview coach Ellie Caldwell said. “These kids just come to battle on the court every night.”
Fairview was again led by the sensational play of Abby Kuyper. The junior finished with 13 kills and five aces as she provided Fairview the spark they needed to distance themselves from the upset-minded Longhorns (10-8, 8-4 PAC).
She notched nine kills in the first set alone as she helped the Warriors pull away in the opening frame. Kuyper tallied her ninth kill on a sizzling spike from teammate and senior setter, Emma Szoradi (25 assists), giving Fairview the 25-18 victory.
Kuyper admitted she was a little more pumped than usual for the rivalry matchup against the Longhorns.
“I definitely had a lot of adrenaline,” she said.
“I honestly just could not focus in school today. I was just so excited for the game.”
Much like its previous matchup with the Warriors earlier this season, Lutheran West hung with the cream of the crop all night, finding themselves locked in ties and
close sets throughout. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough and it wasn’t the outcome Coach Jeff Schaef had hoped. But he was proud of his girls’ gritty effort at home.
“I thought the girls played well. Yeah, it was just little things. We missed a point here or there, and they capitalized,” Schaef said.
Led by senior Sydney LaPointe (six kills), Lutheran West was locked in a 12-12
second set, but ultimately a pair of kills and aces as part of an 8-0 run fueled by Kuyper put the pesky Longhorns away in set two, 25-15.
Kuyper showed uncanny vision, adjusting her hits to adapt to the struggling Longhorns defense. Whether it was a powerful spike, or a slight tap to the left, the feisty junior had her opponents scrambling throughout the evening.
“She is just an intense, focused kid who just wants it at whatever the cost,” Caldwell said. “She has great court awareness, and she knows that with her power swing that the defense eventually gets peeled back, and then she goes to work.”
Evened up at 10-10, Lutheran West again battled hard through the first half of Set 3, but another 8-0 run, including two more
aces from Kuyper, sealed the deal as Fairview celebrated the continuation of its memorable PAC undefeated streak with a 25-18 victory in Set 3. Szoradi, like the rest of her teammates, continues to just enjoy another magical run.
“We know that we are not the same as last year and stuff like that,” Szoradi said. “We just try and keep pushing as hard as we can.”