When Kirtland Volleyball and Chagrin Falls Volleyball meet on the volleyball court, haymakers usually follow.
Thursday night was no exception.
The Hornets and Tigers traded momentum, big swings, and late-set drama through four sets before Kirtland finally landed the last punch, surviving a five-set thriller, 21-25, 25-21, 25-18, 27-29, 15-12.
The victory completed Kirtland’s season sweep of Chagrin Falls and strengthened the Hornets’ position in the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division championship race.
“They showed their character tonight. We’re resilient,” Kirtland head coach Ricky Sanders said. “That’s the word I’m going to use: resilient. I told the girls that we are not out of any match, any set, no matter if we’re in the lead or if we’re not. I told the girls to keep fighting every single point.”
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Chagrin Falls struck first.
The teams battled to a 10-10 tie in the opening set before a kill from Molly Wheatley helped the Tigers create some separation at 15-11. They never surrendered the advantage, and Molly Nightwine finished the set with a cross-court kill for a 25-21 victory.
Kirtland answered immediately.
Ellie Spencer and Karli DiFranco delivered early kills as the Hornets jumped out to a 6-1 lead, and another DiFranco kill pushed the margin to 15-6.
Chagrin Falls refused to disappear.
A kill from Sienna Farah helped ignite the Tigers, and Lily Victoroff followed with a pair of blocks as Chagrin Falls trimmed the deficit to 23-20.
Kirtland, however, finished the job when Adalyn Kruger delivered a service ace to close out a 25-21 victory and even the match.
The third set followed a familiar script.
Neither team could gain much separation early, reaching another 10-10 deadlock before Kirtland finally broke through. The Hornets put together an 8-3 run, seized control, and rolled to a 25-18 victory for a 2-1 advantage in the match.
That left Chagrin Falls fighting to extend the night.
The Tigers responded.
Margaret Svette won consecutive battles at the net for blocks to give Chagrin Falls a 9-8 lead, and the Tigers eventually used a 10-4 run to build a 19-12 advantage.
Again, Kirtland would not go quietly.
The Hornets stormed back to pull within 20-17 and eventually erased the deficit completely. Victoroff and Spencer traded kills as the fourth set reached 24-24, turning the finish into a point-for-point fight.
Chagrin Falls finally escaped when Nightwine hammered down the deciding kill in a 29-27 victory.
Four sets weren’t enough.
It would take 15 more points — and a little more drama — to settle it.
Andriana Grman opened the fifth with an ace that helped Kirtland jump ahead 3-0, but Abbey Babic answered with a kill that pulled the Tigers within 5-4.
Then came Kirtland’s decisive push.
The Hornets created enough breathing room to build a 9-4 advantage, and this time Chagrin Falls couldn’t completely erase it.
Kirtland held off one final charge and closed out the fifth set, 15-12, setting off a celebration after a match that lasted nearly every point possible.
For a program that spent last season trying to get past Chagrin Falls and Berkshire, beating the Tigers twice this fall carried some added meaning.
“Being able to take that fifth set and winning against Chagrin twice puts us in the driver’s seat,” Sanders said. “We know that, and we know that we have to bring it the next time we play Berkshire. We know we have to bring it — bring our all even better than we did tonight.”
Spencer powered the Kirtland attack with 22 kills and added 10 digs for a double-double.
DiFranco finished with 13 kills, while Matea Vujica totaled nine kills and five blocks.
Grman distributed 24 assists and served four aces, while Kruger contributed 19 assists and two aces.
For Chagrin Falls, the difference wasn’t a lack of firepower.
It was consistency.
“We weren’t our typical selves. We really like scrappy, and there were a lot of hesitations between two people and balls dropping,” Chagrin Falls head coach Kelly Holtz said. “We had those moments, and that was very uncharacteristic of us, and I think it also spooked us.”
Victoroff turned in a monster performance with 15 kills and 13 blocks.
Babic led the Tigers with 16 kills, Nightwine added 13, and Wheatley finished with 12 kills and eight blocks.
Svette orchestrated the offense with 47 assists.
The Tigers now have to make sure Thursday’s disappointment becomes something useful with the postseason approaching.
“Going into the last couple of weeks of the season, and then going into the postseason, I think it can help us,” Holtz said. “The story is not written yet. This is just one chapter, and I think it’s how we learn from this, and we grow, and that’s what we talked about.
“Feel what we feel tonight. That’s totally fine and natural. But tomorrow we get back to work, and we learn and grow.”
Kirtland won’t have much time to savor the victory.
The Hornets host Perry on Oct. 3 before turning their attention toward another important Valley Division matchup with Berkshire.
Chagrin Falls returns home to host Wickliffe on Oct. 6.
By the numbers
| Kirtland | Stats |
|---|---|
| Ellie Spencer | 22 kills, 10 digs |
| Karli DiFranco | 13 kills |
| Matea Vujica | 9 kills, 5 blocks |
| Andriana Grman | 24 assists, 4 aces |
| Adalyn Kruger | 19 assists, 2 aces |
| Chagrin Falls | Stats |
|---|---|
| Abbey Babic | 16 kills |
| Lily Victoroff | 15 kills, 13 blocks |
| Molly Nightwine | 13 kills |
| Molly Wheatley | 12 kills, 8 blocks |
| Margaret Svette | 47 assists |
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