Lakeland volleyball, on a quick turnaround, dropped a doubleheader today at Kent State Tuscarawas. In the first match, the Lalers dropped a 3-0 decision to the Golden Eagles 3-0 (16-25, 20-25, 15-25). The Lakers were late arriving for game one and were never able to get on track in the first match. Coach Watts commented, "We are working hard to play at a high level consistently. We were a bit out of sync early on and just unable to get on track. We are a very good defensive team that will continue to get better."

Sydney Park and Taylor Williams-Stevens each had 6 kills while Parks added 9 digs and Williams-Stevens finished with 4 digs. Samantha Winter added 17 assists while Alyssa Lino finished with 4 kills, 3 aces, and 3 digs. Zoe Babnik led the team with 16 digs while Allison Hedrick picked up 4 digs and an assist. Estella Dotson picked up 3 digs and a kill in the Laker loss.

Lakeland then played Cincinnat-Clermont immeduiately and dropped a 3-1 (11-25, 14-25, 25- 23, 22-25) decision. The Lakers got off to a low start before picking up their play. After falling behind 2-0, Lakeland battled back in a tight match to win the next game. The final game was another tight match that could have gone either way. Watts commented, "We're getting better every match. If we keep improving, our wins will come. I'm proud of the teams effort thus far."

Sydney Park led the way with 14 kills, 2 aces, and 10 digs while Avrie Shenkel finished with 10 kills in 15 attempts and a block assist. Taylor Williams-Stevens finished with 11 kills and 2 block assists while Samantha Winter recorded 35 assists and 2 kills. Zoe Babnik finished with 8 digs while Alyssa Lino added 2 kills and a block assist. Abby Karasek finished her afternoon with a team high 3 aces and 2 block assists while Allison Hedrick picked up a couple of digs in the Laker loss.

Watts' Word: Recap on a few players: 

Sydney Park plays at such a high level no matter the opponent. She's a real threat and produces on a consistent basis.

Samantha Winter is an amazing setter and does a great job running our offense. Her ability to chase down balls out of our system and create an offense is what keeps us going.

Taylor Williams-Stevens has really come into her own as a middle and gave an outstanding performance forcing the opponent to set up a 3-man block.

Allison Hedrick took full advantage of her opportunity today getting some solid digs, consistent serves, and very strong play on serve receive.

Zoe Babnik is so pertinent in our defense. She had some solid digs for us today that were key in our win.

Next Up:  The Lakers will travel to Lorain County on Wednesday (9/18) to play the Commodores in OCCAC action. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm.