By HUNTER O. LYLE
BRADFORD, PA – Playing their toughest competition yet, the Bradford volleyball team went toe-to-toe with Elk County Catholic in a five-set back-and-forth showdown. However, running up against attrition and fatigue, the Lady Owls were unable to pull out a victory late as they suffered their second loss of the season.
Coming into the Thursday match, Bradford had opened the season with stable play and a 3-1 record. But with the Lady Crusaders coming into town, they knew their good start would be put to the test.
“I expected to see exactly what they are,” said Bradford head coach Steven Daniels. “Power on the outside, just nothing hitting the ground and, frankly, just bodies everywhere.”
The battle began early, with each team trading kills as they began the feeling out process. After being tied at 4-4, the Lady Owls began to sneak out a lead with big slams from their front line and crisp passing in the interior, eventually building up a 10-5 advantage. However, ECC then showed off their own hitters, slamming and spiking constant shots back over the net as they embarked on a 6-2 run to tie the game at 12.
Ultimately riding their hot streak to a three-point advantage, the Lady Crusaders would then see the tide retreat as Bradford began trading blows, turning the final stretch into a game of short-lived runs that resulted in a deadlock at 20-all. Finding momentum late, Bradford quickly pumped out three consecutive service points before sneaking out a 25-22 set one victory.
“(The first set) really set the tone because there was no quit on either side,” said Daniels. “You could get up by five or six points and know that the game is not over.”
In the second set, ECC opened up ready to even the score. Mixing points at the net with points off serves, the Lady Crusaders jumped out to a 6-1 lead as they poked holes in Bradford’s defense.
Tying on a tourniquet, the Lady Owls built a wall. Led by net protector Hayley Keane, Bradford stopped anything and everything coming over the net at point blank range, sending shots back with authority as they snuffed out ECC’s hot streak. Coupled with some diving saves and fluid playmaking, the Lady Owls countered the initial run with one of their own, scoring seven unanswered to take a 8-6 lead.
“The girls (on the front line) have been putting in work since June and they come to work everyday just wanting to get better,” said Daniels. “As a coach, you can’t ask for anything more.”
After a few more rounds of to-and-fro scoring, Bradford would again find their footing late with a 5-1 run that put them up 21-17. Moments later, they were at the doorstep of a 2-0 set lead at 24–21. However, then came the Lady Crusaders. After being on the brink of a second-consecutive loss, ECC burst back to life with a 9-2 scramble of points that knotted the game at 25.
Beginning to panic, Bradford struggled to fend off their opponents and instead found points in desperation as they fought to stay alive. With the score rising into the 30s, the Lady Crusaders eventually came out with the final edge, tying the match with a 32-30 win.
Over the next two sets, each team would earn a win in dominating fashion. In set No. 3, an 11-2 run from the Lady Crusaders solidified a 2-1 edge while in the fourth set, Hayley Keane’s hot start and strong serving, which totaled in a 5-0 run and 8-0 run, kept the Lady Owls alive.
“Hayley brings her mind. Everybody looks at the big swings but no, she brings her mind,” said Daniels. “She asks questions, she drops some beautiful balls for kills. You just keep pointing at the old gray matter up top. That’s what she brings, the calmness and then obviously the power.”
Then came the do-or-die fifth, a place the Lady Owls had yet to see this season. Despite fighting for nearly two and a half hours, Bradford just couldn’t continue. ECC exploded early as they racked up an 8-1 lead which steamrolled to 12-2. Although Bradford found a spark late, scoring seven points to the Lady Crusaders’ one, the comeback proved to be too much. ECC finished the game with back-to-back kills, finishing a hard-fought match with a extra-set win.
Keane ended with 23 kills and five blocks while Addison Rosenthal and Emma Pilon finished with eight and nine kills, respectively. Running the offense, Aliya Corignani racked up 40 assists alongside her three blocks and two kills.
Not one to be discouraged, Daniels took the loss in stride, instead focusing on a chance for revenge.
“The takeaway is that we get to see them again,” said Daniels.
