The Lakeland volleyball team (1-0) kicked off their season on Tuesday night by hosting the Jamestown Jayhawks in a non-league match in Laker gym. The Lakers battled and came away with hard-fought 3-1 victory over the Jayhawks. The scores of the games were 25-14, 18-25, 27-25, and 25-19. Game 1 was an outstanding display for the Lakers as they combined strong front court play with a solid passing attack to cruise to the first game victory. They jumped out to an early 6 point lead and never looked back. In game 2, the teams flipped ends and so did the Lakers fortune. They trailed by 5 points early and were never able to get back into the match. Everytime they started to make a run, they made a costly little mistake and so they suffered the defeat. Game 3 was the gut-check game. Lakeland jumped out to an early 6 point lead only to have the Jayhawks battle back and tie it at 14. The teams would keep it close the rest of the way. The Jayhawks went on a small run and managed to gain a 22-18 lead. Lakeland called a timeout and regrouped. After the timeout, they rallied to take a 23-22 lead. From there, they exchanged points until it was tied at 25. The Lakers then made a great defensive dig to set up a the go ahead point before putting the game away following a powerful strike from their outside hitter. With all of the momentum from the game 3 win, Lakeland took control of the final game and kept the lead between 4-7 points throughout as they cruised to the victory.
Stats were not available at the time of this release; however, the Lakers had significant contributions from several players. Madison Tatka and Kaitlynn Minarik consistently hit powerful kills throughout the match to overpower the Jayhawks. Maisie Burlison and Erica Merth controlled the net by recording several blocks to disrupt the Jayhawks offensive flow. Tory Leck made several all-around great plays and she recorded several digs while doing an excellent job passing. Tatianna Matuz hustled all over the court defensively and she did an outstanding job setting for the Lakers front line.
Players Pieces: Madison Tatka - "I felt we played really well and had good communication. We still have some things to work on, but it feels really good to get a win. I'm excited to see what's to come with this team."
Miozzi Mentions: "It was a really good team win - everyone played hard and contributed. I was really impressed with the overall effort of Tatianna - it was her first time out and she really hustled and showed leadership. Our blocking was very good this game which was nice to see. We'll enjoy this for a bit, but we have to get ready to move on as we face another solid team tomorrow night."
Next Up: The Lakers will play host to Kent State Tuscarawas tomorrow night at 6:00 pm in Laker gym. Admission is free.
