Cedarville storms past Lake Erie in 3-set sweep 

By Danielle Cherry 

On Halloween eve Cedarville faced off against Lake Erie and won in a clean sweep by taking the dominant hand from the start: 25-13, 25-12, 25-16.

Coming off of a successful stretch of seven victories, interrupted only by a loss against unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Ferris State, the Jackets played with pure confidence and motivation to keep their momentum. Stepping on to a court surrounded by costumed fans, there was an evident joy in the way they carried themselves. 

Cedarville (14-9, 10-2 GMAC) set the tone for a fast-paced game, keeping the Storm (8-15, 5-8) guessing at every ball. Even when it seemed like balls were on the ground, Alivia Rutt would rescue them to a settable height. 

With an early six-point run in set one, the pace was clearly on Cedarville’s side. Yet despite chaotic balls coming from Lake Erie, the Jackets kept their heads on their side of the court, sticking to the game they know best: their own.

Sidney Shepherd demonstrated being a setter isn’t just about getting the ball to hitters, but that it is being a player with an astounding level of court awareness. As balls came too tight to the net, Shepherd didn’t bother trying to make an unsettable ball settable, rather she would whip her left hand around for a swing — and usually a kill off the second ball. 

Yet with all the momentum going into set two, the Jackets hit a lull, not one by Lake Erie’s doing, but a mental break on their own. While still swinging and digging up balls, reception turned off kilter, with balls dropping in easily attainable spots. 

“They gotta make sure they are engaged mentally the whole time and not taking a break mentally,” coach Greg Smith said. 

After a reorienting time-out, the Jackets put up mental walls — honing in on the crowd energy and already-set momentum throughout the rest of the match. What resulted were rallies with more and more impossible ball passes ending in spectacular kills. 

For a game so dominated by Cedarville, the Jackets have truly grown in specific skills throughout the season. At the start, games would be thrown away by an overabundance of missed serves. This game was a testament to all the little skills built in practice. 

“It doesn’t matter what time of the season it is, we just gotta keep pushing ourselves,” Smith said. “I felt like they did that.”

With a dominating 12 points off of aces, the Jackets proved that it is never too late in the season to grow. 

There was no end to the Jackets taking risks, especially in serve placement. Carley Craighead’s short over the net serve is one that continues to trip up other teams, and her placement against the Storm was no different, truly causing a storm to brew on the other side in an effort to get her dropping ball up. 

As it was clear Cedarville had the advantage, new players were substituted onto the court, with Sydney Low making her second-set debut coming out with a quick kill. For Alicia Howard in the third set, she pounded down balls in the middle with quick transitioning off the net. 

“No matter who we were bringing in I felt like they played well,” Smith said. 

Despite the Jackets adapting to the new players on the court, Lake Erie was out to win playing relentlessly in the third. Every timeout was a strategy session of how best to throw Cedarville off its game. 

“We knew Lake Erie was going to come out and play hard, and I felt like that one four-point run was like ‘we got to be better at that,’” Smith said. 

That lull that happened in the second, was beginning again in the third, but now with new minds to face the challenge. One of which was varsity’s own: Smith. Challenging a ball that dropped way too close to the line, the smile beaming off his face when the call came that he was right was all the Jackets needed to continue pushing towards the end of the match. 

“I felt like we were taking steps in the right direction,” Smith said.  

With so much growth, the Jackets play is radically honed in from the start of the season. There is an effort to get every ball, and a resilience that is continuing to grow mentally in the players. 

With only three games left before the GMAC tournament, the Jackets look to end their season on a high. Being atop the Southern Division, Cedarville’s league record matches North lead Findlay. 

Only East leader Ashland (13-1) has a better league record than Cedarville. After a slow start out of conference, the Jackets have shown that, despite being a younger team, they have the resilience and the fight to bring home wins, and maybe even a championship. 

Danielle Cherry is a junior communication major and is assistant editor and writer for A&E and passionate writer for Sports. She is a Missionary Kid from Germany and has had the joy of watching the volleyball team grow and is devastated their season is ending.