The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Brookside sweeps past Oberlin in LCC match
Brookside continued its dominance in Lorain County Conference play as it swept Oberlin on the road, 3-0, on Sept. 12.
The Cardinals posted scores of 25-15, 25-12 and 25-15.
Despite the lopsided scores, Brookside had lapses of miscommunication, but Cardinals coach Jenn Larrick knows there will always be teaching moments, especially now that Brookside is ranked No. 20 in the State of Ohio.
“We still don’t have a set lineup,” Larrick said. “I know our weaknesses and that each one of them wants to get better. For them to come on the court and work through those things in every match that we play, I keep telling everyone that we might be at the top of the conference right now, but at any moment someone can figure out our weakness and take advantage of it. If we aren’t getting better every game, then we are going to drop one soon.”
The Cardinals (9-0, 6-0 LCC) received a strong contribution from Lauren Sheehan. The senior setter tallied 13 kills, three aces and six digs as she helped Brookside orchestrate 5-0 runs in each of the three sets, allowing Brookside to pull away.
“It’s really exciting because we are on a roll and we are undefeated,” Sheehan said. “We are just trying to keep it going, sometimes we lose our communication, but we pick it right back up.”
The Phoenix (1-10, 1-5 LCC) gave it a punchers chance, coming out competitive in the first set behind 7 kills from senior Lauren Sands. She kept Oberlin within eight points late in the set, but was unable to make much of an impact in sets two and three.
“Lauren Sands is a totally different athlete,” Oberlin coach Tony Tahan said. “I will not say anything negative about that kid because she works hard all the time. She really does! Every ball, she sets well and she hits well. She works her butt off every game and every point.”
Larrick was thankful that Oberlin had trouble getting Sands involved after the first set.
“She is a phenomenal player,” Larrick said. “I think we just got them out of system enough where we just couldn’t get them the ball. There is nothing that she did differently. They just couldn’t get her the ball.”
Brookside’s sophomore setter Leah Musall fueled the Cardinals with 33 assists, one ace and one solo block.
Musall and Sheehan’s chemistry is well documented.
“They work really well together,” Larrick said. “Leah has figured it out that if someone is on, then we keep going. Lauren is a dominant player. She wants to be the best player on the court, so for her to demand the ball the way she does, Leah just knows that Lauren is our go-to
and that she will put it away when needed.”
The Phoenix hung as close as 6-5 early in the second set, before unraveling and allowing a 13-2 run en route to a 25-12 loss.
Seeing another blowout set, Tahan minced no words when talking about the lack of effort he sees from most of his girls.
“There was no effort,” Tahan said. “We have a couple of girls who really put out an honest effort on a regular basis, and then we have some girls who just walk around. That’s the difference between a good team, a mediocre team and a terrible team.”
Oberlin came out sluggish in the third set, falling behind 9-1 in a matter of moments. They cut the lead to 15-9 behind a good team effort and a pair of kills from senior Bailey Wallace, but were quickly pounced on by another pair from Sheehan.
Jenna Rothman added eight kills and two blocks for the Cardinals while Wallace finished with six kills and five assists for the Phoenix.
Tahan knows that he can’t teach dedication and love for the game, and that it has to come from the girls who take the court.
“Certain things just come from within,” he said. “The game of volleyball, you teach them how to play the basics. The passing, the hitting, the transition, the movement. We do a lot of stuff here to move better. Sometimes a lot of girls don’t do it during the game.”
Brookside travels to Parma on Sept. 16 while Oberlin looks to rebound at home against Wickliffe.
“She (Lauren Sands) is a phenomenal player. I think we just got them out of system enough where we just couldn’t get them the ball. There is nothing that she did differently. They just couldn’t get her the ball.” — Brookside coach Jenn Larrick