Warriors lose to Beavercreek in five sets

It’s not often that a coach praises his team after surrendering a 2-1 set lead and eventually losing.

But that’s exactly what Lebanon High volleyball coach Tim Mersch did after his Warriors lost to Beavercreek on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The Beavers rallied to beat Lebanon, 25-22, 25-27, 19-25, 25-23, 15-7.

“We played well,” Mersch said. “I’m very happy with our youngsters. Our effort was a lot better than on Saturday when we opened the season.

“We didn’t beat ourselves, we made Beavercreek beat us. Our ball control was better and we did a much better job seeing the court and playing to our strengths.”

The Warriors start just one senior, one junior, three sophomores and a freshman. Meanwhile, Beavercreek played seven seniors. The difference in experience showed, especially in the final two sets.

“This is our year,” Beavercreek coach Kristine Montague said. “Last year, down 2-1, it’s a totally different story, but our seniors stepped up and found a way to win.

“Beating Lebanon is always a big win in the GWOC.”

Adrienne Wray led Lebanon with 17 kills, but the Warriors got solid play from Mandee Ehrlich (nine kills) and Jerrica Krupa (eight kills) while Wray sat out much of the middle three sets with leg cramps.

“We don’t have the same confidence that last year’s team had and that means a lot, especially in closing out a tight match,” Mersch said. “But, that will come.

“If we can just get through the first two weeks of our schedule — which is very tough — I think we can reel off a winning streak at the end of the year. We’re getting better. If we keep improving at this rate, we’ll be right in the thick of things when the post-season rolls around.”

Lebanon (1-2) split two matches on Saturday, losing to Mason and beating Anderson. The Warriors travel to Fairmont on Thursday, Sept. 3 then visit Milford for a tri-match with the host Eagles and Colerain on Saturday, Sept. 5.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4526 or shayes@coxohio.com.

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