Norwalk starts, finishes strong in Lake opener

NORWALK — Lucy Schlotterer learned a valuable lesson long ago. "What I've learned the most in volleyball is, a point is a point," the Norwalk junior outside hitter said. "Whether its a tip, if it lands on the floor, it's still a kill. It can be one of those hard, down the line kills — or it could be a tip that just gets over the block and falls your way. "It's all the same to me right now, just score points." That also includes serving momentum-shifting aces. After letting a potential three-set sweep get away from them, Schlotterer and her Norwalk volleyball teammates were able to finish off visiting Bellevue in four in Thursday's SBC Lake opener at Norwalk High School. Schlotterer served consecutive aces to end the match. The Truckers' ability to not let the first set slip away, while also avoiding a dreaded fifth set was the difference. Norwalk (4-0, 1-0) posted scores of 25-17, 25-19, 21-25 and 25-15 in the win at Norwalk High School. "They were the most important sets to win, because last year we struggled coming out strong from the start," Schlotterer said. "I feel like so far this year, that has been our strong suit. "It's been a while since we've even been close to Bellevue," she added. "This has been one of our goals since I've been in high school. We know we have the talent and drive to compete in the league, we just have to put it all in play." In the first set, Norwalk struggled to get untracked early. After briefly taking the lead midway through the set, Bellevue was able to surge ahead, 15-12. But it was all Norwalk from there. Through a series of errors, the match was tied at 16. Bella Hernandez then broke the tie with a kill for the lead, then Schlotterer followed with a lob and a kill on the next two points for a 19-16 lead. Schlotterer added a lob for another point, and Skyler Cassidy served an ace to keep the momentum and a 21-17 lead. A block from Hernandez was then followed by an out of bounds hit and a net error on the Lady Red, then Schlotterer finished off the set with a kill for the 25-17 win. In the second set, Norwalk played from in front throughout. However, the Lady Red did make a push after it trailed 20-13. A nice block from Claire Frietag and an error on Norwalk allowed Kenslie Felder to serve an ace for a 21-16 deficit. However, Norwalk closed the door thanks to a long rally. Mac Wineman made a diving dig that just went across the net. That sparked a long rally that ended in a Bellevue player hitting the ball into the net for a 22-16 deficit. It was 23-18 when Schlotterer and No. 12 finished off the set with a pair of kills in the 25-18 win. In the third set, Bellevue (0-4, 0-1) got its strong start and never relented. The Lady Red raced out to a 10-4 lead and were able to hold off multiple Norwalk runs. Leading 10-9, the Lady Red strung together four straight points, capped by an ace from Lila Krall. A few Norwalk hitting errors pushed the Bellevue lead to 15-10. Hernandez put down a kill to pull Norwalk within 15-14, and the match was eventually tied at 18-all when Krall found an opening to give Bellevue the lead. A net violation on Norwalk, followed by a block and a lob from Krall, put Bellevue ahead 22-18. It was a matter of trading points from there, which the Lady Red did to finish the 25-21 win and force a fourth set. "We came out with a lot of energy, but we have to work on maintaining that energy at a consistent level," Norwalk head coach Sarah Kipp said. "That gave Bellevue a lot of energy and momentum. But we didn't give up and the kids showed a lot to respond the way they did." Kipp's assessment was accurate, as Norwalk scored the first five points of the fourth set, allowing it to play with a decent lead throughout. Bellevue did manage to pull within 10-8, but an out of bounds hit and kills from freshman Emily Tyler extended the Norwalk lead right back to 14-10. It was 21-13 once Schlotterer and Hernandez combined on a block, then moments later, Schlotterer put the win away at the service line. "It really is about being more consistent," Kipp said. "We say that to the girls in pretty much every timeout and every match and practice. I think at the end of the day, the team that can be consistent is more likely going to win. "But I have to give a lot of credit to Bellevue's defense," she added. "They also made adjustments, and their block is huge. They were really picking up a lot and made us work for what we got." Schlotterer finished with 17 kills, 11 digs and served five aces for Norwalk. Hernandez had five kills and eight blocks, while Ava Tyler had 22 assists. Mac Wineman had 21 digs and Sawyer Wineman added 20. Up next for Norwalk is its annual Invitational at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The typically-loaded field will have Tiffin Calvert, Elyria Catholic, Wooster and Willard included.