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Lady Comets pull off upsets, win district
(by Tony Lange - November 03, 2011)
Lady Comets pull off upsets, win district
By TONY LANGE
With upsets against Brecksville and Kenston, the Solon Comets claimed a district volleyball title last Saturday on their home court.
The Lady Comets' 15-11 record following their championship is not reflective of their season, head coach Missy FitzGerald said.
Winning a district title is more reflective, she said.
"It felt great," FitzGerald said. "It's what the girls have been working for since the beginning of the season. We have a fairly young team and we had a very competitive schedule. We knew that our main goal going into the tournament was to make a tournament run and the girls are doing a great job stepping up."
Going into the postseason, the Lady Comets were seeded third in the 12-team bracket that made up the Division I Solon District.
In the first round, the Solon beat eighth-seeded Garfield Heights in three games, 25-6, 25-8, 25-5.
The quarterfinals against John Hay also was a three-game match with the Comets winning 25-4, 25-10, 25-13.
In the semifinals against second-seeded Brecksville, Solon dropped the first game, 27-25, in extra points, but then went on for the 3-1 triumph with 26-24, 25-14 and 25-20 games.
In the finals last Saturday, the Lady Comets were up against the district favorites and No. 19-ranked Division I team in the state by the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association.
A repeat of the semifinals, the Comets lost the first game, this time by 25-19.
"I said to the girls since day one that this is one of the most passionate, intense, competitive groups I've coached," FitzGerald said. "We've had our ups and downs for the season, but I think they've used that passion and intensity to be able to overthrow a lot of adversity. We've been in situations all year where we've played a ton of five-game matches."
Paced by Kristi Tekavec's 18 kills and 27 digs, Solon went on to triumph 3-1 against Kenston with 25-11, 28-26 and 25-23 scores in games two, three and four.
Chelsey Tekavec also had a double-double with 11 kills and 16 digs for a one-two family punch.
Kristi has been pretty consistent as Solon's No. 1 hitter all year, FitzGerald said.
"Chelsey had a year out last year with a torn ACL and she didn't even hit in club season so she's really just now coming into her own and showing people what she can do offensively and it has made a huge difference in our offense," FitzGerald said.
While Kristi had been getting kills all season, 27 digs was very satisfying to see, FitzGerald said.
"We've got on her all year about playing off-blocker defense and staying back on defense and getting in the right spot and today she just really did," FitzGerald said. "I mean she's a great athlete and she can get to a lot of balls. But, she's really starting to read the game a little bit better."
The biggest difference in the 14-point lopsided second game, however, was middle hitter Kelsey Ansec's blocking and Kaylee Kruse's digs.
"The girls need to step up on defense," FitzGerald said. "We needed to put up a better block and we needed to dig the ball. Our middle blockers, especially Kelsey, really stepped up and got some big blocks. We dug some balls and it really changed the whole momentum of the game."
As a sophomore, Ansec is still improving every game, FitzGerald said.
"She is just now showing us what she is capable of doing," FitzGerald said. "She's been working hard all year and she's really starting to get more and more aggressive and competitive out there and it's really making a difference in our defense for sure."
With the win, the Lady Comets advanced to the regional tournament for the first time since 2007. They were scheduled to play Massillon Jackson Wednesday night (Nov. 2).
Jackson finished its regular season undefeated at 22-0 and was ranked third in the state in the final coaches' poll.
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