Brian Hagberg
BROOKVILLE, Pa. – It took extra points, and some timely serving, but Sheffield was able to come away with a 3-1 win at Brookville Monday.
(Screen grab courtesy Melissa Lemay. Sheffield players celebrate after defeating Brookville, 3-1, in Brookville, Monday, Sept. 28, 2020.)
Trailing in each of the first two sets, the Wolverines battled back and took both sets in extra points on their way to a 27-25, 26-24, 21-25 and 25-18 win.
Lily Lauffenberger was “perfect” from the service line, with five aces, and set the tone early in the match. With Sheffield (4-1) trailing 12-3 in the first set, Lauffenberger stepped to the line and served nine straight points to tie it at 12.
The teams battled, but eventually the Wolverines took the set, 27-25.
“I’m so proud of the never quit spirit that they have displayed over the last week,” Sheffield coach Melissa Lemay said. “We had to battle back from some significant deficits to come back and win in set 1 and 2.”
Despite the loss, the Raiders showed their own ability to battle and had the Wolverines on the ropes leading 24-20 in the second set. Sheffield weathered the storm and won six straight points to take the set, 26-24, and go up 2-0 in the match.
“We were down 20-24 and had to play mistake free for six straight points,” Lemay said.
Brookville was able to finish the job in set 3 with a 25-21 win, but Sheffield came back and dominated the fourth set to clinch the match win.
“Set 4, they put it into another gear – jumping out to a 13-5 lead,” Lemay said. “At one point, we were ahead by 10, but some calls on ball handling errors got us a few times. They were able to stay focused and bring home a win. I’m so proud of the way they are playing.”
Kassidy Orinko led the offense with 12 kills, while Kadence Steffan had 29 assists. Annabel Sheldon led the defensive effort with 23 digs.
“We were more aggressive hitting the ball with good swings from all positions tonight,” Lemay said.
Sheffield won the junior varsity match, 26-24, 17-25 and 15-13.
The Wolverines head to Brockway Thursday.
Find more scores from across District 9 and District 10 here.
