Brycelyn Dieckert (14) of North Union leaps to block a hit by Northwestern as teammates Journey Blevins and Gabby Ziegler watch in the background. The Lady Cats swept the Warriors, 3-0. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
North Union’s volleyball team has been on the winning side of the ledger more often than not this season.
NU has experienced so much success that its last setback came nearly a month ago on Sept. 8.
The Lady Cats’ eight-match winning streak has allowed them to claw their way to the top of the Central Buckeye Conference standings along with Benjamin Logan. Both teams sit at 6-1 with only three matches remaining in league play.
NU head coach Peg Curts said pre-season goals helped her Cats get to where they are today.
“We talked about where we wanted to be this year,” she said. “Even when they set goals, I don’t know if they realized they could achieve them until they got about halfway through the season.
“They are on track to accomplish those goals if they keep playing as well as they are.”
One of those goals was to return to the top of CBC as conference champs,
In order to continue that trek, NU had to first get past Northwestern.
Grace Brandt led the early charge as she helped North Union gain an early 5-0 lead from service line.
Outside hitter Sydney Bacon got into the mix with a tip that caught the Northwestern blockers off-guard and kept the score climbing in NU’s favor.
Curts said her team’s work outside the box allowed them to catch the Warriors by surprise.
“The girls are really moving the court well,” she said. “They are spreading around sets and putting sets in different positions.
“That allows us to make kills in different positions.”
Solid ball movement gave the Cats a 25-10 win during the opening set.
The confidence remained high as they jumped to an early double-digit lead of 15-5 in the ensuing game.
Curts said her team has just been playing its roles well and playing in a fluid manner.
“They are just finally gelling as a team,” she said. “They know what their role is and they are playing them well.”
The solid lead and fluid play kept NU on the attack and gave middle hitter Journey Blevins the opportunity to notch 13 kills during the match.
NU won the second game 25-16.
and helped the Lady Cats to a 25-16 set two win.
The Lady Warriors jumped out to an early 6-4 advantage during the final game.
Once NU took a 10-9 edge, the local squad never looked back.
Ball movement and varied sets allowed the rest of the team to tally 19 kills.
Jordyn Hoffman set up eight of those kills as NU won 25-14 to complete the sweep.
Curts said with the team’s goals are coming into focus as the regular season winds down.
The motivation, she said, to win each match is becoming stronger.
“We talked a lot about goals at the beginning of the season,” Curts said. “We are motivated by getting closer to achieving those goals.”
The Lady Cats will return to CBC action Thursday as they travel to St. Paris Graham.