Silverdale and Notre Dame volleyball have made a habit of playing long 5 set affairs in the past 5 years. The District foes usually play each other three or more times a year and it is almost never a straight set affair. Thursday night at Notre Dame, the visiting Seahawks looked to have other things on their mind.
Silverdale started the first set strong and built a 17-11 lead behind several serving runs, including two three point runs by Isabella Cofer.
A time out by the Irish changed the momentum temporarily, but another timeout was needed by Notre Dame at 20-16. Notre Dame almost made the full comeback, cutting the lead to 23-24, before Silverdale closed out the set 25-23.
The second set was a back and forth affair. No team had more than a 3 point lead, but once again Silverdale won the last point and took the set 25-23. The 2-0 lead in sets was exactly the start the visiting Seahawks had hoped for, but the night was just getting started.
The third set was Notre Dame's turn to get off to an early lead. Strong serving and excellent play by the Irish's middle hitters Scarlett Hughes and Aniyah Brown, including 5 kills and 2 blocks in the set, gave Notre Dame breathing room early. Libero Callie McCormick had one of her two aces (21 digs) on the night late in the third stanza to cement the set at 25-21 for the Irish.
The fourth set it was the Notre Dame's outside hitter's time to shine. Junior Maggie Fillauer had 5 of her 20 kills in the fourth frame and Sophomore Sam Brown had 6 of her match-high 21 kills. Fillaeur also tallied 9 of her 37 digs in the fourth set as the Irish pulled away to a 25-19 win.
So, as so often is the case when these two programs get together, a fifth set would be needed to decide the victor. Silverdale scored 2 of the first 3 points to start the fifth set, but then Fillauer went on a 7 point serving run that included one of her two aces.
Not to be outdone, Silverdale's libero Casey Neal went on a run of her own and trimmed a 9-2 Notre Dame lead to only 9-6. Notre Dame righted the ship after a timeout and eventually took a 14-12 lead. The match was ended by Maggie Fillauer's 21st kill of the night, off an assist by Notre Dame's Maggie Clotfelter (55 Assists).
Notre Dame moves to 13-5 on the year and 3-1 in District Play. They will host Cohulla Creek (Dalton) in a non-district affair on Tuesday night.
Notre Dame defeat Silverdale 3-2
23-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-12
Notre Dame Stats:
Briley Baucher: 6 kills, 1 block, 1 dig
Sam Brown: 21 kills, 10 digs, 1 block
Maggie Fillauer: 20 kills, 37 digs, 2 blocks, 2 aces
Scarlett Hughes: 7 kills, 1 block
Aniyah Brown: 5 kills, 1 block
Caimen Cothron: 3 kills, 9 digs, 1 ace
Maggie Clotfelter: 55 assists, 7 digs, 1 ace, 1 block
Callie McCormick: 21 digs, 2 aces
Elaine MacDougall: 2 aces, 3 digs
Savannah Scarboro: 3 digs
Olivia Chauncey: 1 ace