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Overlooked Perrysburg shows its mettle, outlasts Magnificat in two hour match

November 3, 2006

By Jim Jicha

Over the years I’ve seen a lot of great volleyball matches. But rarely do I see one so special that I can recall it long after the others have faded into a blur of memory.

Last night’s match between Perrysburg and Magnificat was that special.

The Yellow Jackets and Blue Streaks put on a drama of great hits, superb setting, spectacular defense, extended volleys, untimely errors and, when crunch time came midway in game four, a sheer determination of both teams to do what only one of them could, which was to win the match.

Perrysburg prevailed 25-22, 17-25, 25-21, 27-29, 15-13, and it lasted two hours! And while I don’t take a camera, some scenes are now etched in my album of memories.

There was Amber Lopez, fielding a pass that was too near the pole to do anything but save, and the determined look on her face as she somehow popped it over. (At 5’1”, Lopez was the shortest player on both teams but her contribution to this match was huge!)

And Blue Streak defender Carly Syms taking a vicious hit at left back from Chelsea Campbell and nailing a perfect cross court pass to setter Kristen DuBroy at right front.

The look of surprise on Campbell’s face as she recovered from a diving dig and saw that a set, whether intended or not, was coming at her in back court, and her lightning swing that sent a screamer off a Blue Streak’s finger tips and into the wall.

Acrobatic liberos Alex Feltes (Magnificat) and Jordon Hamons (Perrysburg) performing one handed digs and various diving maneuvers to save errant passes.

And, in games four and five, Perrysburg’s Campbell and 6’2” Melissa Szkutnik, and Magnificat’s 6’2” Clare Keeney and the rest of their hitting repertoire, relentlessly pounding away from the outsides until everyone on both sides looked exhausted.

The match began innocuously with the teams parrying to 5-5 on fives ties. At that point, sophomore Mary Hearons scored on a well placed shot and Campbell spiked a kill, both from backcourt, and Perrysburg took a lead that but for a tie at 15 they never relinquished.

Upon tying, the Blue Streaks were undone by three errors plus a block from Szkutnik. They kept close, however, on three kills by Bridget Palcko, until Lopez ended it with a pinpoint dump after Feltes had dug a missile from Campbell.

Led by Keeney, the Blue Streaks took a quick 3-0 lead in game two, and maintained a close edge throughout the game. Palcko blasted a kill to make it 22-17 and she and Keeney blocked and spiked the Blue Streaks home.

Magnificat took charge again in game three leading up to 10-7. Then Szkutnik scored on a block, which brought Lopez to the line and, with Szkutnik providing three more blocks, the spunky 5’1” setter served her team to a 14-10 lead.

After an exchange of points, Magnificat used an 8-3 run to go up 19-18. But Szkutnik tipped for a tie and, with Hamons now serving, scored another kill and a block as the Yellow Jackets buzzed ahead 24-19, with Campbell pounding a kill from back court and Hamons serving up an ace.

Sophomore middle blocker Victoria Cichocki stopped the run with a kill and sophomore defender Rachel Gulasey served an ace, but Szkutnik ended it with a powerful blast down the middle.

Szkutnik and Campbell led the charge in game four, as Perrysburg took leads of 3-0 and 9-3 and, after Magnificat closed to within a point, 16-11.

At that juncture, Syms powered a back court spike off a Yellow Jacket spike and Magnificat began a slow rally, closing to 23-22 with Keeney getting four kills.

The next volley saw the play where Syms nailed that spike from Campbell, but Perrysburg eventually scored on an errant hit. 6’2” Michelle Matia kept the Blue Streaks alive with a kill, and Kristen Kidd pounded two kills to give her team their first lead of the game.

A tip by Campbell ended a frantic volley that was kept alive by digging heroics from Feltes and Hamons.

Sophomore Lauren Naveaux blocked Kidd to put Perrysburg back on top.

Matia countered with a well placed tip, and DuBroy served up an ace, giving Magnificat the edge. A cross court slam by Campbell knotted it up again.

Then, after a teammate blocked Szkutnik, Matia hit a smash that was dug into the wall, and Palcko sealed the comeback win with a spike through a double block.

Losing a game like that would make some teams crumble. But Perrysburg’s bench seemed excited about the fifth game, and after an initial kill by Keeney, the duo of Campbell and Szkutnik resumed their activities, with a terminating spike and an ace, respectively, for a 3-1 lead.

Palcko ended that with a kill, and Feltes served the Blue Streaks to a 6-3 edge. A couple of untimely errors by both teams and a questionable lift call left Magnificat on top 8-6. An intense volley followed with Feltes digging Campbell, and a teammate thwarting a dump attempt by Lopez, before Campbell finally terminated matters. The teams exchanged errors, leaving Magnificat clinging to a 9-8 edge.

Then Szkutnik smashed one that appeared long but was touched on a pull away, and she followed that by crunching a short set spike for a 10-9 lead.

After a Magnificat error, Kidd and Keeney tied it up with kills. However, an untimely service error followed.

Senior Yellow Jacket outside Hanna BredenbeckCorp then smashed a cross court shot to the deep right corner. Keeney got Maginficat back on track with a kill, and Gulasey served up an ace. At 13-13, the match had reached its crescendo and was either team’s to win.

On the ensuing volley, instead of an expected hit from Szkutnik, it was BredenbeckCorp who delivered the penultimate point. Szkutnik then headed to the line and drove a serve that proved too hot to handle, and when Magnificat’s hit sailed out, the Yellow Jacket team, their coaching staff and their schoolmates poured onto the floor in reverie.

Perrysburg won the state in 1979 and was runner-up in 1981. But since then, this is the farthest they’ve gotten.

This year's team is, according to coach Jeff Beck, a nice mix of seniors and younger players who get along  well with each other. They don’t get down on themselves or each other, and they don’t brood over misfortune, which certainly helped them through game five.

Before the season started, the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune published an article featuring Amber Lopez. It talked about her team’s hopes to dethrone Bowling Green as NLL champ after disappointments the past two years.

Then the season began and, following a 3-0 start, frustration set in again with four straight losses. To make matters worse, a late season loss to arch-rival Bowling Green ruined a chance for a share of the conference title. With those losses, and because they lost in sectionals last year, they were overlooked and unranked.

But last night, at Norwalk High School, the Yellow Jackets showed what they can do.