Angelina WagnerAfter losing the first two matches against Neumann last Thursday, the Lady Cavs won a close third match but lost the crucial fourth match, leading to a 3-1 defeat. The conference loss brings the Lady Cavs’ record to 7-12 overall and 2-6 in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference.
The Lady Cavs entered the game confident, ready to win.
“We were all so psyched,” freshman outside hitter, Katie Kapovic said. “At dinner we were anxious and ready to play. We came out strong and confident in the first game.” Although the first match was heated by the fiery competitiveness of both teams, Neumann won 30-26.
“Even though we lost the first match, we were playing well together and our spirits were still up,” Kapovic said.
Momentum shifted back and forth in the second match with the teams trading points and rallies. Tied 9-9, with junior outside hitter Kristin Johnson serving for the Lady Cavs, Neumann won the point putting them ahead 10-9. Cabrini battled back to take the lead 15-13 at mid match. From there, the Lady Cavs continued to win points, eventually building a 22-20 lead. But from that point, it was all Neumann as they rallied to a 30-24 second match victory.
After the two early losses in the best-of-five contest, the Lady Cavs faced the do-or-die third match. With the pressure on, Cabrini led Neumann 18-14 as sophomore outside hitter, Kerry Coleman, came to serve. The team stepped up behind Coleman’s serves, winning five unanswered points for Cabrini.
That lead would prove to be enough for Cabrini to win the third match, forcing the 2-1 game into the fourth match.
“We were backing up our server to get back in the game and we did. We ended up winning that one,” Johnson said. “We went into the fourth game confident, pumped and ready to play. We went out there strong, but we knew it would be tough to come back from a 2-1 deficit.”
The Lady Cavs came out hot in the fourth match, building an early 7-2 lead. However, Neumann came back to take the lead 11-8, forcing Cabrini to take a time out. Coming out of the break, Neumann maintained the lead, but the Lady Cavs never let them get more than three points ahead, cutting the lead to one at one point. But after a second time out the score was 14-20 in Neumann’s favor. Although Cabrini battled to within five points late in the match, 21-26, Neumann held on for the match win, giving them the game as well.
“We came out hard in the fourth match after winning the third, but by mid game they had the lead and we had to play catch up,” Johnson said. “I really thought we were going to do it. We kept it close, but it was too late in the match for us to make up the points when they already had the lead.”
Kapovic led the Lady Cavs with 17 kills in the game. “My hitting was on. We got good sets to the outside and good sets make it easy to pound the ball,” she said.
Brooke McGinn, junior outside hitter, said, “It’s hard when the team plays as one the entire game and then you come out with a loss. It’s disappointing.”
