Somers Opens Season with Four Set Victory

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In their opening match, Somers appeared ready to sweep versus Ketchum with 25-18 and  25-19 victories. That is until the visitors won set three and took a 22-18 fourth game lead. Still, Somers fought back and left Svea Almquist in the serving line at deuce. “When coach gives me a spot, I take a deep breath and tell myself I got it,” said the Tusker. But  did confidence deliver location.

“Yes, it did,” said Almquist, and neither point was returned for a thrilling Somers victory.

Somers didn’t come out hot as much a RCK came out cold, though. Mishits, carrys and net balls gave the home team a 6-1 lead.

Julia Martin did connect with a kill to stop the run, but the rest of the Storm didn’t follow suit.  Three more errors, the Tuskers led 9-2.

Somers followed with a few of their own mistakes and another kill by Martin kept it respectable at 9-5. Unfortunately for Ketcham, a foot fault by Olivia Lipiro negated the momentum, and two more mistakes made it 11.

Of course, Somers could stand on its own. Claire Cronin served an ace, and then Khloe Kishart set up Shari Marrero for the kill.

13-6, Ketchum fought back nonetheless. Lipiro dealt an ace, and Alexa Feuer killed from the middle for a 14-10 game.

So Somers went left. After Cronin dug Serafina Franco’s windmill, Kishart took the bump outside and perfectly set Marrero.

Good for a five point lead, Somers lost ground again. Winning dinks by Morgan Brown and Cronin were only good enough for a three point lead in the face of an ace by Franco and kills by Martin and Feuer.

The difference was cut to 17-15 on a Somers miscue, but the Tuskers kicked into overdrive.  Cronin delivered two kills, Kishart added an ace, and Zara Salazar smacked Somers to a 21-15 lead. 

The writing now on the wall, Maegan Brown did most of the rest. She had a perfect push and a middle kill to secure victory.

Game two, Somers got out early again.  Katie Kourakos set Abby Babboni in middle, Almquist dropped a dink from the center and Morgan Brown and Marrero put up a double wall to open a 4-0 lead.

Kills by Franco and Martin got RCK back in it, but Marrero retook the upper hand. She blocked Martin on the kill and Cronin added a kill on the way to an 8-4 lead. 

RCK wouldn’t go away, though. With the help of several Somers errors and a Martin ace, Ketchum pulled even at nine.

However, Somers refused to give up the lead and began with Maegan Brown’s push. Kourakos, the setter, then did double duty with two kills. “I do a little bit of everything,” she joked.

Now 12-10, RCK kept pace on the strength of a Lipiro ace. Her serve into the net maintained the status quo and Babboni kept it going by showing her own versatility. The senior’s dink and slam dunk extended to a 15-12 lead. 

Not for long, RCK got their first lead. Two Somers misses and a pair of kills by Erin Zangerle made it 16-15.

She then gave back by misfiring into the net, and Somers took the cue. First Cronin put the stops on a Martin slam and Kourakos upped the deflect to Maegan Brown, whose dink gave Somers the lead for good.

Eight points to go, Brynn Robinson dropped an ace off the net, Babboni rose for the block and Morgan Brown and Cronin found open spots on the dink. 22-17, Cronin and Maegan Brown finished off the second with a pair of kills.

One game to go, Ketchum missed the message after the teams opened to a 4-4 tie.  Martin knocked a slam for the lead, nailed her 500th kill to make it 16-7, and the Storm cruised to a 25-18 win.

Ketchum started where they left off by scoring the first four points.  Poised for number five, Ketchum saw the chance disappear on Robinson’s diving dig, and Marrero’s subsequent kill.

Along with a few more Ketchum misses, a Babboni block and another Robinson save narrowed the score to 5-3.

Unfortunately, Somers gave it back. Two missed serves made it 7-4 and Ketchum rubbed it in on an Ariel Rosenquest ace and a Franco block.

But the Storm abated again. Three errors added to a Robinson ace got the Tuskers to 10-8.

Ketchum made amends, though. Ella Gollins rattled Somers with a pair of aces, Winter Donaldson contributed two kills, and Erin Zangerle dropped a dink. 

16-9, Somers got life when Lipiro served out, and Martin’s kill went long. The misses proved a hiccup, and Ketchum stormed to a 20-13 lead on the strength of a couple big plays by Feuer. 

Now it was Somers' turn. Kishart served an ace, and Kourakos did a little of everything again. Following a lefty spike that came back over, the multi-talent sent the ball right back to open space in the corner, which had Babboni beaming. “She’s amazing and so much fun to play with as well,” said the hitter. 

Next, Robinson added an ace, and another Ketchum miss pulled Somers within three. Still, Donaldson stayed hot, executed a kill, and Somers called for time.

22-18, Ketchum then missed fired twice, and Kourakos and Salazar tied the score on a kill and ace respectively. Another time out for Ketchum had the visitors responding this time. After Kourakos dinked out, Lipiro aced her team to a 24-22 lead.

So the pressure on, the front line didn’t wilt. Robinson got a kill off the net and Babboni didn’t blink when her first slam didn’t fall. “I tell myself volleyball is skill and mental game. So there’s going to be players who can read you,” she said. But the Ketchum literacy didn’t hold on her second knock.

Deuce, it was on Kourakos, and wide left went the serve. “I was a little pissed off,” she admitted.

Fortunately, Donaldson returned the favor, and Almquist stepped up to the plate. Both serves were too hard to handle and Kourakos was relieved. “She made me feel so much better,” sighed the Tusker.

Of course, hope is unlimited for the Tuskers. “We never treat a game like it’s over,” Kourakos assured, and the perseverance sent the Tuskers home winners.

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