The Columbus Telegram/Lee Enterprises June 13th 2016
The scoreboard showed a sweep, but the sets were all close.
The Green All-Stars made all the plays at the end of the sets to come away with a 25-22, 25-22, 25-23 sweep of the Silver squad Thursday in the 26th annual Central Community College/Columbus Telegram All-Star volleyball match played at Raider Fieldhouse.
The teams played an extra fourth set despite the sweep to allow the athletes to showcase their talents, with the Green team winning 25-19.
Green coach K.C. Belitz said Monday he thought his team was balanced, and he saw that balance in action Thursday night.
"We were just so consistent across the board," said Belitz, the head coach at Lakeview. "We just did not have a weakness. We had hitting, two great setters, just so balanced. They worked hard, they worked well together, they had a ball together and that's a big deal in an all-star format. They just gelled from the moment they walked in the gym."
The Silver team got out to a fast start in the first set, opening up an 11-7 lead and later led 18-16. But the theme of the night for the Green All-Stars was a strong finish.
They reeled off five straight points to take a 21-18 advantage. Twice the Silver team closed to within a point, but the Green team finished off the first set with a 25-22 win.
Macy Stewart of Shelby-Rising City had four kills for the Green squad, while Kayla Schrunk of Lakeview had two kills and two blocks.
The Green team got off to a fast start in the second set, scoring the first five points and later taking a 10-4 lead. But the Silver team came roaring back with a 10-4 run of its own to tie the set at 14-all.
The Silver team finally took its first lead of the set at 18-17 only to see the Green All-Stars rip off eight of the final 12 points to close out a 25-22 second-set win.
The third set was more of the same. Neither team could open much of a lead, with the biggest advantage for either side being four points.
The teams traded points until the Green team opened up a 14-10 lead. The Silver team responded with seven of the next eight points to take a 17-15 advantage.
The rest of the set featured back-and-forth runs. The Green team tied it at 17, then took a 21-18 lead only to watch the Silver team come back to take a 23-21 lead.
But the Green team made the plays when they counted, scoring the final four points of the match to seal the sweep with a 25-23 third-set win.
Schrunk, who was named MVP for the Green team after finishing with six kills and three blocks, said Monday she wanted to go out with a win. Her teammates didn't let her down.
Belitz mentioned balance and the stats showed it. There was no runaway star for the Green team.
Shelby-Rising City's Emmie Noyd had seven kills and two blocks.
On the silver team, area players included Jesse Grotelueschen of David City and Shaelyn Voss of Shelby-Rising City. Shelby-Rising City coach Sandy Voss was the assistant coach.
On the green team, it was Jenna Eller from Aquinas, Emmie Noyd of Shelby-Rising City and Macy Stewart from Shelby-Rising City. Head coach was Jody Pelan of Aquinas.