Lady Crusaders Battle Back to Defeat Bradford, Improve to 10-1
Elk County Catholic was forced to battle through an early setback and a fourth-set deficit Tuesday night, but the Lady Crusaders responded when it mattered most, rallying past Bradford for a 3-1 victory.
After dropping the opening set, ECC answered by taking the next two, 25-19 and 25-17, before overcoming a five-point deficit in the fourth set to close out the match with a 25-22 victory.
The win improved the Lady Crusaders to 10-1 on the season.
Bradford came out with plenty of energy in front of its home crowd and used that momentum to grab the early advantage. ECC, however, regrouped quickly and began to settle into the match.
“Bradford came out ready to play, and you expect that on Senior Night,” ECC head coach Josh Burrs said. “There is a little extra emotion and energy in the gym on a night like that. We didn’t have the start we wanted, but I really liked how our girls responded. We didn’t let one set dictate the rest of the match.”
The Lady Crusaders evened the match with a 25-19 win in the second set and then carried that momentum into the third, pulling away for a 25-17 victory to move within one set of the match.
Bradford refused to go quietly.
The Lady Owls raced out to a 5-1 advantage in the fourth set, prompting Burrs to use an early timeout. Bradford scored the next point to stretch the lead to 6-1 before ECC began slowly working its way back.
“There wasn’t any big speech in that timeout,” Burrs said. “I just wanted to talk to them and settle things down. At 5-1, you don’t need five points on the next rally. You need one. Then you worry about the next one. I wanted them to get back to playing our game and trust that if we kept putting good rallies together, we would give ourselves a chance.”
ECC continued chipping away until finally pulling even at 18-18.
Once the Lady Crusaders erased the deficit, they took control down the stretch, outscoring Bradford 7-4 the rest of the way to complete the comeback, 25-22.
“Being down 6-1 on the road and finding a way to battle all the way back says a lot about this group,” Burrs said. “We’ve been in some difficult situations this season, and those experiences help you in moments like this. Nobody panicked. They stayed together, kept competing and found a way to finish.”
Bailey Thorwart led the ECC attack with 16 kills while adding 10 digs and an assist. Katelyn Myers recorded 14 kills, 13 digs, two aces and an assist.
Lanie Weisner had a big night at the net and service line with eight kills, five aces, seven digs, three solo blocks and a block assist. Bethany Cunningham added two kills, two aces, eight digs and a solo block.
Addy Gradl ran the Lady Crusader offense with 34 assists and added 10 digs and a block assist, while Bella Dixon contributed 17 digs, three assists, two aces and a kill.
Stella Stebick anchored the back row with a team-high 24 digs, while Brynlee Schutz added two digs. As a team, ECC finished with 41 kills, 39 assists, 11 aces and 91 digs.
The ECC junior varsity team also had to come from behind Tuesday night. After dropping the opening set 25-17, the Lady Crusaders responded with a 25-16 victory in the second before taking the deciding set 15-11. The win improved the JV team's record to 9-2.
There will be little time for ECC to celebrate the road victory, as the Lady Crusaders are right back in action Wednesday, making the trip to Ridgway. The JV match is scheduled for 6 p.m. with varsity to follow.
CAMERON COUNTY 3, SMETHPORT 0
EMPORIUM, Pa. – Cameron County swept visiting Smethport, 25-22, 25-15, 25-18.
Milla Magaro led the Lady Raiders with seven kills, five set assists and three aces. Addison McAulay added 10 set assists.
DUBOIS 3, ST. MARYS 0
DUBOIS, Pa. – DuBois swept visiting St. Marys, 25-18, 25-16, 25-10, thanks in part to 15 kills and two blocks from Claire Kennis.
Tristin Fontaine added seven kills for the Lady Beavers, whose offense was run by Lidia Brigger’s 27 set assists. She also had three aces.
JOHNSONBURG 3, KANE 0
KANE, Pa. – Bria McCabe recorded 10 kills and 10 digs as Johnsonburg swept host Kane, 25-20, 25-16, 25-13.
Lily Myers added eight kills, an ace and three blocks for the Ramettes.
DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC 3, RIDGWAY 1
DUBOIS, Pa. – DuBois Central Catholic defeated visiting Ridgway, 25-10, 25-16, 20-25, 25-20 thanks to 15 kills, 15 digs, and seven aces from Jillian Morgan.
Elizabeth Green added 12 kills and five blocks in the win.
OSWAYO VALLEY 3, GALETON 0
SHINGLEHOUSE, Pa. – Oswayo Valley swept visiting Galeton, 25-8, 25-9, 25-10.
Ella Resig led the Lady Green Wave with 10 kills and six aces, while Ainsley Tabacheck contributed nine kills and three aces.
Comments