Norwalk runners-up at host Invite

NORWALK — There was a lot to like. And while the Norwalk volleyball team didn't win its host Invitational on Saturday, it still reached several goals on Aug. 31 at NHS. Norwalk opened with victories over Elyria Open Door Christian and Willard, but fell to Massillon Jackson — a Division I regional semifinalist in 2023 — in the championship match. "The goal is to always come into these non-conference matches and see what we need to improve on," Norwalk head coach Sarah Kipp said after her team improved to 7-1 overall. "We saw some good things, and definitely saw some things to work on." Norwalk defeated Open Door in two sets, 25-10 and 25-21. It followed up with a two-set win over Willard, 25-17 and 25-16. But facing a Jackson team that lost just three seniors from last season's team that nearly pushed Chardon Notre Dame Cathedral-Latin to a fifth set in the Sweet 16, Norwalk found it tough to handle the Polar Bears. Jackson posted scores of 25-18 and 25-12. Jackson is coached by Mary Kate Agona, a former teammate of Kipp, a New London graduate, at the College of Wooster. "Facing a team like Jackson in the finals exposes weaknesses for us, so it's good to see teams of that caliber," Kipp said. "Plus, it's always fun to coach against a college teammate." In the win over Open Door, Lucy Schlotterer had 11 kills and seven digs. Maddie Gamble had nine kills and Ainslee King added seven. Emily Tyler had 25 assists, seven digs and served 10 points with two aces. Also for Norwalk, Reagan Mooney had nine points and two aces, while Mac Wineman had 23 digs and Sawyer Wineman had seven. "We had two girls out late in the marching band at the football game (Friday night) in Eastlake, so you never know with the 9 a.m. start," Kipp said of the first win. "We came out strong in the first set, then Open Door became very scrappy — and we struggled to find the floor in the second set with a lot of unforced errors. "Those are two things that we have really got to work on." Against Willard, Schlotterer finished with 10 kills and 10 digs. Gamble had six kills, seven digs, and eight points with an ace. Tyler added 25 assists and Mac Wineman had 15 digs. Also for Norwalk, Sawyer Wineman had seven points with an ace, while Sydney Moehlman added four kills. "We played strong at the net. And I think we're distributing the ball well," Kipp said. "We're making smarter choices with where we put the ball, when we swing big, and when we don't. "Willard is big, and the girls did a nice job of either hitting around the block and using high hands." Flashes finish 1-2 Willard opened Saturday with a two-set win over Firelands, winning by scores of 25-21 and 25-17. Kelsey Lykins finished with 14 kills, five blocks and nine digs for the Crimson Flashes (5-3). Camryn Wiers had six kills, while Leah Weiss served 12 for 12 with nine points, eight digs and three kills. Caitlyn Weaver added 14 assists, while Morgan Lofland had 11 digs and was 8 for 10 serving with two aces. In the loss to Norwalk, Lykins had nine kills and seven digs. Lofland had 10 digs and was 6 for 7 serving, while Weaver had 10 assists and five digs. Alexis Rettig was 4 for.5 with an ace and had seven digs. "Norwalk is very solid," Willard head coach Ashley Bond said. "When you play against them and make seven service errors, that doesn't help your cause. You can't give them points on top of how strong they are. "It seemed like every time we'd start to catch up, we'd do something to take a step back." Willard then closed its day with a two-set loss to Elyria Catholic by scores of 25-13 and 25-22. Lykins finished with 12 kills, with Wiers adding five. Weaver had 17 assists and five digs, with Lofland serving 10 for 10 with an ace to go with six digs. Weiss also had nine digs and three kills. "We did a great job of responding in the second set after a sluggish first set," Bond said. "We looked to be in control until we hit 22 points." It was a long, hot week in the gym for the Flashes. They won at Bellevue in three sets on Monday, then played a long, five-set win at Vermilion on Thursday in the SBC Bay opener. Then came the three matches on Saturday. "We got home Thursday at 11:15 p.m. from Vermilion, then we had some girls out late with the football game Friday, then we were up here at 7:15 a.m. today," Bond said. "It's definitely been a long few days." Willard faces nearby South Central at home on Tuesday in a non-league match, then comes a big home tilt on Thursday with Huron — a critical match in the Bay race. "We're not going to shy away from competition," Bond said. "Playing teams like this will make us better in the long run. This is a big week for us. It doesn't get any easier, but we like the challenge."