Alter upends McNicholas

“Ya gotta’ love that”. Those were the words of Archbishop Alter Coach Tina Jasinowski after her team upended top ranked Cincinnati McNicholas 25-20, 25-21, 27-25 last night at Alter High School.

McNicholas had moved up to the top spot in the just-released Coaches’ Poll and Jasinowski and assistant Renee DeGraff had seen the post late in the afternoon. However, the players did not learn about the ranking until after the match.

Jasinowski felt her team’s winning in three said a lot, adding “we are so young, this really helps to build our confidence”.

Alter starts five sophomores.

What really said a lot was the way the young Knights overcame deficits in the final two games without becoming frustrated when the Rockets thwarted their attacks with blocks and great digs, which happened quite often.

McNicholas has four starters 5’11” or taller, including 6’2” Katey Schroeder and 6’0” Lauren Schaller, and they repeatedly rejected spikes. Senior libero Jessica Tyne was all over the backcourt digging whatever did make it through.

Alter often had to come up with second, third - even multiple - efforts to get the ball down. The patience and poise they displayed in doing this, and in battling back, belied their youth.

McNicholas jumped out to a 6-2 lead in game one on points from Schaller, Schroeder and Sara Staubach. But Sarah Fisher scored a kill for Alter, and three straight Rocket spikes went out.

The scoring went back and forth with Alter gradually building a 21-16 lead on kills by Katie Laravie, Emily Borchers and Fisher. At this point Katelyn Reber blocked Alter senior Mandy Robbe, but Robbe came right back on the next volley to score a kill.

McNicholas crept to 22-19 when a serve by Reber hit the back line, but Fisher teamed up with setter Kacie Hausfeld on a slide for a cross court kill and Hausfeld followed with an ace. The Rockets scored one more on a four hit call, but lifted trying to handle a hit by Alter’s Lauren Woeste.

McNicholas started strong in game two. Schroeder spiked a kill and blocked a tip, Reber served an ace, Staubach ended two long volleys on cross court kills, one after Robbe rejected a spike by Schroeder, and Schaller hit an ace. Staubach had another kill and Reber scored twice, first on a tip, followed by a great two handed hit from left side that went just over the net and landed in a hole on the other side of the court.

The score was 11-3 and the Rockets were firing on all cylinders.

It was here that Alter began a slow comeback. After a kill by Borchers, a smash by Laravie was blocked way out. A long Rockets’ hit and a kill by Woeste made it 11-7.

Schroeder blocked a short set spike to put her team up 14-9 and, after a long serve, she and Schaller ganged up to stuff an attack by Laravie. But Robbe responded with a kill as Alter cut the lead to 15-13, then 17-16.

The teams traded points with Reber’s kill giving the Rockets a 20-18 lead. Laravie retorted with another kill, and when McNicholas hit one out, the roof fell in, as Robbe blocked Schaller, Borchers served an ace and Robbe blasted a kill right through Schroeder’s block. Alter was now up 23-21.

On the next volley Schroeder came back with a beautifully placed tip after Alter libero Cassie Perando dug her initial spike. That, however, was all for McNicholas. Robbe scored point 24 on a smash that ricocheted off the net and an error by McNicholas sealed their fate.

The Knights scored the first two points in game three, but Reber ended that with a kill and served seven in a row. Staubach had a kill and Schroeder scored on blocks of Robbe and Fisher. Alter closed the gap, but McNicholas stayed in front, taking a 20-14 lead on a four point run fueled by Schroeder.

However, when the Rockets’ next hit was long, the Knights put on a furious rally. Robbe started it with a kill, Fisher spiked a set by Laravie, Hausfeld served three aces and a hit by Laravie proved too hot to handle.

Finally, Schroeder scored on a tip, keeping the ball away from Perando who had deftly parried another of her bombs. This tied the score tied at 21, and the teams traded kills until a double block by Reber and Sarah Messmer put McNicholas up 24-23.

Laravie tied it, scoring on a second effort spike after McNicholas kept her first one in play. The Rockets next hit was out, but Reber tied it again with a kill. However, on the following volley the Rockets were in the net, and Laravie’s next smash was blocked over the net and out of bounds, ending the match.

McNicholas will host Roger Bacon Thursday night.

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