Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

site web  

The Lakota West boys volleyball team rallied to win the final two games over Mason and move into a tie for second with Lakota East in the Greater Miami Conference with a 3-2 victory.

The Firebirds (11-2, 5-2 GMC) won the first game and then Mason (12-4, 4-3) fought back to win the next two before West eventually won the home match Tuesday night.

"A lot of times we come out pretty strong the first game and sometimes the boys get a little overconfident," West coach Christy Switzer said. "But, Mason came out in games two and three hitting and blocking and it took us some time to adjust."

Mason opened the final game with a 5-2 lead. West hung around and then a Mason sideout tied the game at 5. The teams traded points until a kill by West's Tyler Ostrander put the Firebirds up 9-8.

Mason called a timeout at 10-8, but managed only one more point before falling 15-9.

"We had too many big hitting mistakes at key times tonight," Mason coach Paul Melnick said. "With these guys that don't play a lot of volleyball they think the solution is to keep hitting it harder. In this game you have to be smarter, cutting balls, tipping balls and hitting it where they're not. That is something that we have to get better at."

Dylan Kembre led the Firebirds with 20 kills and Patrick Hansford added 13.

"(Dylan) gets up and swings so hard," Switzer said. "He is just a smart all around hitter."

West led by as many as nine points in the first game before the Comets closed the gap to 23-20 on an ace by Brandon Mason. The Firebirds quickly rebounded and won 25-21.

"I think the first game we weren't ready to play and that just kills you when you play a good team," Melnick said.

The Comets looked doomed in the second game falling behind 13-3. Mason then crawled back to knot the score at 23 with big kill by Jordan Heatherly. The Comets kept the momentum and took the game 26-24.

Mason never trailed in the third game and pulled out a 25-16 win.

In a must win fourth game Lakota West broke a 1-1 tie and never looked back winning 25-15 setting up the decisive fifth game.

Heatherly led Mason with 14 kills and four blocks. Brandon Mason chipped in 12 kills and Brian Norris had four service aces.

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5116 or mburcham@coxohio.com.

Vote for this story!