Commodores Slip By Triceratops In Five Sets On The Road

October 16, 2024 - -  Lorain County Community College volleyball needed five sets to get by Cuyahoga Community College Wednesday as the Commodores improved to 11-5 and notched their ninth straight win (18-25, 25-20, 25-20, 19-25, 15-12).

It was the second victory against the Triceratops this season, the first coming on September 11, 2024.  The victory in September started the current win streak the Commodores are currently enjoying as the season comes down to the final two weeks.  Although Tri-C is in Ohio Community College Athletic Conference, Wednesday's match was not a conference match. 

Recap:

The Commodores kept pace until a run by the Triceratops put them behind by five points in the first set.  LCCC called a timeout to stifle the momentum but it wasn't enough as Tri-C went on to win 25-18.

Both teams traded points to start the second set until a kill by Teniya Jenkins followed up by a service ace by Ava Haddix put the Commodores out front.  LCCC would cling to that two-point lead for most of the match.  Tri-C took the lead briefly 16-15, but they let LCCC right back in it with back-to-back attacking errors. With the set tied at 19, Gabriella Habeck connected for a kill and then assisted Jenkins with a block at the net to give the Commodores another two-point lead.  The Commodores got points from two more Triceratops miscues and evened the match with a 25-20 win in set two.

The Commodores finally put together a run to put distance between them and the Triceratops in the third set.  Tied at 6, Habeck and Haddix got kills to start an 8-1 rally to go up 14-7.  That lead stayed until Tri-C began to stage a comeback with the Commodores leading 23-17.  They took advantage of a service error by the Commodores and then got a kill to cut the lead in half.   But that's when it ended, Tri-C hit a ball long and then Jenkins punctuated the win with a kill block on the next point to get the win for LCCC, 25-20.

Tri-C got up early in the fourth set facing defeat.  They built a four point lead against LCCC but that was quickly erased thanks to a kill by Isabella Beck, two aces from Paige Grobolsek, and a block from Nilaysia Todd.  The Commodores momentum stopped there as Cuyahoga put together a 9-3 run and eventually won 25-19 to force a fifth set.

Both teams played each other even in the first four sets and it was more of the same in the decisive fifth set.  The Triceratops went ahead 7-5 when LCCC called a time out.  Trailing 10-8, Haddix set Beck and Habeck up with kills to tie the match.  Habeck gave LCCC the lead on the next rally with a cross court kill that cut through the Tri-C defense.  But The Triceratops would answer with two straight points of their own and once again take the lead 12-11.  Haddix scored on a set over on the next point and then Grobolsek fired up an ace to put LCCC back in front and force a Triceratops timeout trailing 13-12. Out of the timeout, Tri-C misplayed an attack to give LCCC match point and Jenkins came through again with a thundering kill to end the match and give LCCC their ninth straight win.

Next Up:

The Commodores will host Edison State Community College this Friday, October 18, 2024 at 6 p.m. inside the Ewing Activities Center Gymnasium.  LCCC Defeated the Chargers on September 20 in five sets.