Kaitlyn Delauter (6) of North Union leaps to attack the ball as a Northwestern attacker attempts to block the hit. DeLauter also had a solid serving game, picking up five aces during the Lady Cats’ 3-0 sweep. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
The North Union volleyball crew rolled to a 3-0 (25-10, 25-7, 25-15) victory over Northwestern on Tuesday.
NU coach Alexis Maenz credits the victory to goals the team set before every contest.
“I think it is a mindset of playing at home,” she said. “I know, especially with conference play, we have goals we want to accomplish.
“Being able to protect our home court gives us the confidence we need to come out and start strong. “
The strength in play was due in large part to NU’s ability to keep its hits in bounds while minimizing mistakes.
That allowed the Cats to jump to a 13-5 lead in the first set.
The Lady Cats’ front line tallied point after point against the Warrior blockers.
NU’s servers also put solid balls in play that keep Northwestern guessing.
Emma Lindsey picked a pair of aces from the service line to help stretch the Cats’ lead to 20-8.
Journey Blevins provided a pair of kills as NU won the opening set.
Maenz said the Cats were able to change up their approach on the attack, which helped pick up the conference victory.
“I think a lot of teams think of us as a swing-heavy team,” said the Coach. “Being able to put the ball somewhere else when they are expecting us to hit hard at them is something we have worked on.”
Set two featured more strong play as NU jumped to a 10-5 lead.
Outside hitter Kaitlyn DeLauter put down a cross-court shot that went unchallenged.
DeLauter also picked up a point down the line that pushed NU’s score to 14-6.
Jordyn Hoffman’s solid serving sealed the second-set victory.
Hoffman had an extended stay on the service line for eight points, thanks to solid hitting from Blevins and DeLauter.
Maenz said the team’s confidence helped it stick to the game plan when the contest became tight on occasion.
“We didn’t start strong in the previous home game,” she said. “That is something we are trying to change about our mentality.
“We need to come in confident and stay close when things get close.”
The Lady Warriors tested that confidence in the third set, sticking to NU’s heels through the opening 21 points (11-10).
Grace Brandt gave NU the shot it needed to start stretching their lead with a tip over the outstretched arms of Northwestern’s blockers.
The Lady Cats took a 17-14 edge at that point.
Brandt put down additional hits as NU completed the sweep and improved its record to 7-1.
The win also puts North Union at the top of the Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division with a 3-0 record.