At Brooks Gym, M.U. (29-31, 25-23, 25-13, 25-23)
John's Commentary:
"Despite some atrocious hitting by myself, and a fan getting tossed out of the match, we managed to pull out a win against a scrappy and talented Susquehanna team. It should be a great match when we play up there. This weekend we play at the Maryland Tournament, and we'll find out how good we really are, when we play the top teams on the East Coast. Did anybody see Jeff Lubas at the match? Did he fall off the face of the earth? Congratulations to Matt Davis (not drinking) for attending his first-ever volleyball party. Clee was pimpin' on the volleyball girls. 24 is gay."
Coach's Commentary:
"'Ville came out fired up and won the first 4 points of the match on two Ryan Wood kills and two SusQ hitting errors. SusQ immediately brought the game back to even on great defense and strong hits. 'Ville pulled ahead to 14-11 on a combination of Matt Shetzline, Keith Kohler, and Duston Gladfelter kills, along with blocks from Shetzline and Gladfelter. The lead was short lived, as All-MACVC hitter Scott Trumbauer of SusQ sandwiched four consecutive aces between a front row kill and a back row attack to pull SusQ ahead 18-16. Shetzline then hit three kills, Wood chipped in with an ace, and Gladfelter put down three Gajecki sets to take a 24-23 lead late in the game. From there, the intensity of the match heated up, with two Wood kills, and solo blocks by John Wagaman and Gladfelter offset by three 'Ville serving errors. SusQ finally won the first game, 31-29 on a 'Ville ball-handling miscue. 'Ville committed a combined 12 errors to 6 for SusQ in the first game.
The second game picked up where the first left off - with no team gaining more than a 3 point lead throughout the contest, and SusQ putting in an intense defensive effort while committing few mistakes while 'Ville continued to "swing for the fences", either hitting homeruns or striking out. 'Ville did find a way to contain Turmbauer, but SusQ's middles started to carry the load. Wagaman stuffed two SusQ hitters, and Wood and Gladfelter had five kills each to pace the Marauders. 'Ville had played catch-up ball most of the game when Gladfelter got the serve at 19-22, and served 4 straight points, including an ace to bring 'Ville to 24-22. Wood and Wagaman stuffed Trumbauer following the ace, and Wood put down two kills from the outside for the win, 25-23.
The third game was all 'Ville, as SusQ's flawless execution and intense defense evaporated. Gladfelter got the Marauders off to a good start with an ace and four more service points, while Wagaman garnered another block, and SusQ committed three hitting errors. SusQ's Trumbauer tried to carry the load, generating kills for five of SusQ's 13 points, but Wagaman continued to collect another three blocks, and Wood and Erick Macek each added two kills, and Gajecki, Wood, Wagaman, and Macek all added aces to overpower SusQ, 25-13.
The fourth game was near replay of the first and second, with no team holding more than a three point lead at any time. 'Ville put on a blocking clinic in the final game of the night, as Wagaman had 2 solos and 3 assists, while the team combined for 7 total blocks, to none for SusQ. However, 'Ville committed 6 hitting and three service errors to one each for SusQ, thus offsetting the blocking advantage. The game in a hitting slugfest for Shetzline, who put down four thunderous attacks from both the middle and the opposite positions to keep 'Ville in the game, while a solo block by Wood, and a double by Gladfelter and Wagaman sealed the game and the match at 25-23.
SusQ played nearly flawless offense and defense for three of the four games, while 'Ville's attack contributed one hitting error to SusQ for every two kills. It was almost 'Ville's downfall. SusQ is the best overachieving team in the history of the MACVC. They get more out of their players than any team we face. Trumbauer can do everything well, and can be a one man wrecking crew. On this night, however, he had support from three other players, and they almost thwarted the Marauder game plan of focussing on Trum. SusQ gave us a a great match in a hostile environment - sorry about the fan who grabbed your leg, Trum.
In the three games that were close, 'Ville committed 23 hitting errors, while SusQ had nine. The difference in the match was our blocking (17 to 2), and serving (12 aces to 8). SusQ out hit us for the night, and we were lucky to come out of the match with a win.
We are playing some inspired defense, our court coverage is adequate, and we're not letting balls drop on the floor like 'Ville has been known to do in the past. Our ace to error ratio on serving has been over 1:1, and that has helped to keep teams off balance, but with the Maryland Tournament coming up, we need to focus on smart and consistent offensive production in practice this week.
I do want to single out three players that made a huge difference in the match. Although had a lousy hitting night, he was involved in 13 total blocks, including 5 solo, with 5 blocks coming in the deciding game. Also, Matt Shetzline put on a dominating hitting performance in the final game, with 7 kills on 8 attempts, while hitting .765 for the night (17-14-1). Most of these balls were not even touched by SusQ. And Duston had a great all-around night, with 14 kills, 7 blocks (3 solo), and 3 aces. Different people continue to step to the plate for us, and that is encouraging.
All-in-all, however, it is a good start to the season. We are 2-0 in the MACVC West Division, with both wins coming against two of the strongest teams in the division. We are not yet playing well, and yet we are winning - there is definitely much room for improvement before Nationals and the Conference Championships."