Raiders season ends with tough four-game loss
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BROOKLYN — Not even a monster effort by senior Abby Maher could propel the Collins-Maxwell-Baxter volleyball team to victory Friday.
Maher finished with 21 kills and 39 digs against West Branch in the regional semifinals, but the Bears (29-9) took down the Raiders in four games. Three of the four games were decided by the minimum two points as West Branch won 27-25, 23-25, 25-15, 25-23.
“I think some of the kids had it in their minds that we couldn’t play with this team before the match started,” CMB coach Jon Richards said. “I got into them pretty good during my first timeout and tried to get some confidence back. We made it a game though.”
The Raiders played well with strong defense, long rallies and a superb effort from Maher, but CMB ran out of gas late in the match.
“We were a little slow right off the bat because I think some of young kids were nervous,” Richards said. “But our defense has really improved. We kept rallies going but just got a little tired late. We can’t emulate those long points in practice.”
Maher was all over the court for the Raiders as she did what she could to keep her team alive.
“I have never seen a kid that flies all the way around that court,” Richards said. “She played phenomenal. They made her run a lot and she usually covers more area than she has to. Her and Jessica Robinett got tired. They both ran around a lot.”
CMB finished the season 12-12 but for a team which was supposed to be “rebuilding,” a regional semifinal appearance wasn’t too shabby.
“We made some changes during the middle stages of the season,” Richards said. “It took about three weeks for those changes to be seen. We got into sync a little bit.
“This whole season has been a surprise to me. I wasn’t happy early, and I didn’t give these kids much credit. Somewhere in the middle of the season, the kids took their roles and accepted them. Most teams would be jealous of Abby. This team wasn’t. They have improved so much the last four weeks.”
The opening game was tight at the start, but West Branch took command with the game tied at nine. The Bears rolled off 11 of the next 13 points to go up 20-11, but CMB wouldn’t go away.
Behind several kills by Maher, a pair of aces by Taylor Hofer and Jessica Robinett and back-to-back points by Zeah Peterson, the Raiders tied the game at 24. The game would again be tied at 25 before West Branch claimed the final two points and the 1-0 advantage in the match.
With the Bears a little stunned and the fans getting restless, the Raiders continued their solid play in the second game.
Maher began the game with seven of the team’s first 13 points as the Raiders — backed by several West Branch errors — led 13-5 early. The Bears forced Richards into a timeout after closing the gap to 14-11.
Jenna Huntrods later came through with two big plays in back-to-back points as CMB led 22-20. Another kill by Huntrods a few points later gave CMB game point at 24-22, and the Raiders eventually evened the match following a West Branch error. Huntrods finished with six blocks on the night.
The Raiders had trouble serving in the third game of the match as West Branch won easily. CMB never really got going in the game as the Bears ran off a run of five midway through the game and never looked back.
CMB stared elimination in the face in game four and it looked to be over early as West Branch took a big advantage. The Bears led 14-8 midway through, but CMB rallied behind two aces from junior Brittany Moorman and two points from Maher. An error by West Branch tied the game at 15 before Amber Joyce gave the Raiders the lead with an ace.
West Branch went back up by four at 20-16 later, but back-to-back Maher kills and a Peterson block made 21-20 in favor of the Bears. CMB grabbed the lead following another kill by Maher later and another Maher kill tied the game at 23.
However, a serve error and point by West Branch late in the match was enough to put the Raiders away for good.
“We just served bad in the third game,” Richards said. “They served a little more aggressive than us.”
Besides Maher’s monster match, the Raiders also got seven kills and three digs from Joyce, five kills, nine blocks and six digs from Peterson and 28 assists and 12 digs from Robinett.
On defense, Emmeline Huffaker had 28 digs, Liz Kunkel had 16 digs and Jessica Heidemann pitched in nine.
West Branch 3, Collins-Maxwell-Baxter 1
KILLS — Abby Maher 21, Amber Joyce 7, Zeah Peterson 5, Jenna Huntrods 1, Sam Curler 1.
DIGS — Maher 39, Emmeline Huffaker 28, Liz Kunkel 16, Jessica Robinett 12, Jessica Heidemann 9, Zeah Peterson 6, Joyce 3, Taylor Hofer 2, Brittany Moorman 2.
BLOCKS — Peterson 9, Huntrods 6, Curler 2, Maher 2.
ASSISTS — Robinett 28, Peterson 1.
ACES — Moorman 2, Hofer 2, Joyce 2, Robinett 2.
