By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Catholic volleyball team is very young, and competes in a conference that’s been dominated by teams from much bigger schools like Fruitport and Spring Lake.
But MCC Coach Laura Farrell thinks she has the type of team that could sneak up on and surprise a few league opponents this year. And she likes what the future might hold as her young team continues to mature.
“It’s only up hill from here,” said Farrell, whose team looked strong Tuesday in posting a 3-0 victory over Orchard View in a Lakes 8 volleyball match on the Cardinals’ court.
The victory improved the Crusaders’ record to 7-10-4 on the season and 1-0 in league play. Orchard View dropped to 1-7 overall and 0-1 in the Lakes 8.
Zoey Price led Muskegon Catholic with eight kills on the night. Caroline Price had three kills and six aces.
The Crusaders captured the straight set match with scores of 25-23, 25-15 and 25-23.
The Crusaders overcame a 22-18 deficit in the first set, closing the game with a 7-1 run. Janae Schultz served the final six Muskegon Catholic points.
Muskegon Catholic jumped out to 14-4 lead in the second set with strong play in front of the net from Zoey Price. The Cardinals pulled within six points at 15-9 and 17-11 before falling by 10 points.
The Cardinals had a 15-13 lead in the third set before the Crusaders went on a 9-3 run to lead 22-18.
Orchard View answered with a 5-1 run to tie the set at 23-23, but the Crusaders scored the final two points to take the match.
The Cardinals were led by Dayosha Reese with five kills, Natalie Bowen with five aces and Mason Lysiak with seven digs.
“We could not defend their (Crusaders) serves,” said Orchard View Coach Derik Morehouse. “We are however playing a lot better since the start of the season.”
