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Archbishop Moeller shakes off 25-9 game one loss, tops Hilliard Darby

April 21, 2008

by Jim Jicha  

Hilliard Darby had Archbishop Moeller’s number for one game, but the visiting Crusaders shook it off and came away with a hard fought 9-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-22 decision in a meeting of the state’s second and third ranked teams last Friday (April 10) evening.

After the match, fans were treated to wild cloud formations against a purple yellow sky, the remnants of a storm that produced a blizzard in Minnesota and floods and tornadoes elsewhere. Nothing of note occurred in Hilliard, but during the match a funnel cloud was spotted outside Marysville 30 miles away.

Darby got off to a 6-0 start behind blocks by Blake Fraley and John Tholen, and thanks to some Crusader miscues. Moeller responded with four straight as 6’7” senior middle Mark Shipp blocked for two points, and after some point trading Darby was up 9-7.

But things spiraled downward for Moeller following three more errors, as Tholen crunched two spikes, and several Panther defenders led by Austin Brown erected a wall at the net to fuel a 16-2 Panther sprint to the finish.

Moeller found their groove quickly in game two, going up 5-0 on a backcourt kill by 6’4” junior outside Richie Lovell, a tip by Andy McKenna and two aces from senior setter Vinnie Palopoli. Darby countered with three on a short set blast by Tholen, a spike to an empty backcourt by Justin Brammer and a jump serve ace by setter Austin Miller. Moeller, however, used balanced scoring from McKenna, David Richards, Lovell, Trevor Skove and junior middle blocker Mark Holtkamp to move further in front 15-7.

A kill by Dustin Horn started a Panther rally, as Miller added a dump and Horn followed with an ace. Miller and Brown rejected three Crusader spikes and soon the score was 15-13.

But Holtkamp started a Crusaders’ rally when he demolished a short set from Palopoli. Shipp followed with a block and three terminations. McKenna eventually ended the game with a shot from backcourt.

The third set went back and forth with nine ties and four lead changes before Moeller took the lead for good 15-12 on a five-point run. At 24-17 Darby rallied on blocks from Fraley and Tholen, before Shipp blasted a short set to ice the game.

Game four saw more back and forth with 14 ties and seven lead changes as Darby tried desperately to force a tiebreaker and Moeller just as desperately to avoid one. Darby struck first 2-0, Moeller went up 4-3 and continued it to 8-7. The Panthers went back on top 10-9, and Moeller led 12-10 and 14-12.

Horn retied matters with a straight down kill and Brown smoked an overpass to put Darby ahead again, and the scoring progressed thusly until the Panthers were up 21-19.

At that point, Richards smashed a spike down the right that was dug into the stands, and a Panther overpass was smashed into the floor. And when Lovell terminated an intense volley, Moeller was back on top.

Horn demolished a short set from Miller to retie it, but Lovell parried back with a crosscourt blast from the left, and a hitting error by Darby put the Crusaders on the brink. Holtkamp ended the match with a block on Horn.

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Moeller and Darby could clash again at the Centerville Elite this coming Saturday, but the only way that can happen is if they meet in the championship or for seventh place. The latter scenario isn’t very likely, but with Archbishop Hoban and Elder, both top ranked, in Darby’s bracket, and St. Xavier in Moeller’s way, neither is the first.