Central Mountain Volleyball Socks the Lady Lancers, 3-0
By Tom Elling
MILL HALL – It seems simple enough: get the lead, keep the pressure on, then take advantage of your opponent’s errors. But that is pretty much how the Lady Wildcats (now 32-7) took visiting Loyalsock in three straight sets.
In the first game, CM roared out to a 12-3 lead before Loyalsock mounted a little momentum of their own. The Lady Lancers closed the gap to 13-8 before the Lady Wildcats went on another run. Gabby Beaubrun was a big part of the surge, adding onto the 500-mark for “kills” she achieved just a few days earlier. She was joined in the kills column by Lilly Downing and Sofia Kelly. Reese Walizer and Kylie Rauch also contributed to the complete effort. Walizer was especially effective with her serves. The last point for CM in their 25-15 win came on an unforced long serve by the visitors.
In set two, CM started a little slower but still had the early lead, 7-5. Kylie Rauch came up big in the kills assault with four smashes; Beaubrun continued her fine season, adding five. Newcomer Sofia Kelly added three—her last finished off the set, 25-12. Chloe Confer played a great all-around game with effective serves (two were aces) and numerous saves and sets.
The three-game sweep found the going a little rougher as Loyalsock took their first lead of the night, 3-1. Before allowing the momentum to shift, veterans Beaubrun and Rauch steadied the team with some key plays. Beaubrun included an ace in her bag of tricks. Sofia Kelly’s soft drop over the net got the ’Cats back in the lead, 6-5. It was a little back-and-forth until rookies Allison Koch and Sofia Kelly got things rolling with a kill each. Kelly added two more a bit later to give CM a 12-9, then a 14-11 lead. Then Rauch and Beaubrun stepped up, getting six of the last eight points. Confer and Lilly Downing each scored before Rauch grabbed two more kills, with Beaubrun slashing the ball for the exclamation point. Last set to CM, 25-17.
Coach Chipp McCann was pleased with the team effort and the chemistry of the squad. “We played very well for most of the night. I saw some spots we need to clean up, but the girls are really playing well together.” He smiled as he noted, “Gabby was playing her old team. It was nice for them to get together after the games.”
The veteran coach also noted that he was really pleased with the way Chloe Confer used the middle to set up so many of the points. “She was our only setter tonight, and she performed well.”
Central Mountain will host Williamsport on Tuesday, September 30th. The Record-Online will be streaming that contest.
