East’s Khalia Lawrence (#7) gets a hand on the shot attempt of Lehman’s Lilly Leininger in the Vikings’ Tuesday win. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Miami East kept pace with Covington Tuesday with a straight-sets win over Lehman…East hoping to make a late run now that everyone is back playing healthy.
Casstown, OH – Miami East coach Jamie Fletcher said she appreciated the hustle – the effort – that helped her Vikings improve to 10-6, overall, and 7-2 in the Three Rivers Conference after Tuesday night’s shutout of Lehman Catholic…25-12, 25-21, and 25-20.
Lehman, however, made them work.
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“But they are not afraid to play from behind,” said Fletcher of her Vikings team. “I think that’s my favorite thing about this group. No matter what the score is, they’re giving it their all, every single point.”
Lehman coach Carolyn Dammeyer had to search for some favorite things to mention on a frustrating night that saw her young Cavliers team struggle with consistency and squander momentum, repeatedly, when they had it.
“We’re young,” said Dammeyer. “We’re young and we don’t communicate well enough on the floor. And we’re trying to learn. When you don’t talk on defense things kind of yo-yo, and it’s frustrating. Communication is our main weakness right now. And we’re working on it, trust me…every single practice.
“But we didn’t have a good practice yesterday, and it made me worry about tonight, and that’s exactly what happened. When you practice well it carries over to the match. When you don’t, tonight happens.”
But Lehman played well enough early in the first set to take a short lead and make East scramble on defense. Like Dammeyer said, when it’s good…it’s good.
But after the early lead the Vikings caught them at 10-10, took their first lead, and from 12-10 they proceeded to blow Lehman out with a 13-2 run that saw everything go wrong…25-12.
Kamryn Apple sets up a Viking teammate to score in Tuesday’s win over Lehman.
East jumped out again in the second set, led 5-1, before Lehman fought back to tie at 9-9, and again at 17-17. But in between…the inconsistencies on defense that repeatedly made the Cavaliers work too hard to make up ground. They actually took an 18-17 lead, only to see East go on another 8-3 run to take the set, 25-20.
In the third Lehman caught fire to go out 7-1. But once again East caught them with 8-2 run, then another 5-2 spurt before Lehman resuscitated to creep ahead to a 19-18 lead. But just as visions of extending the match tantalized the Cavaliers, their momentum vanished for a final time. East outscored them 7-1 in a matter of moments to take the set, 25-20, and the match.
The win bumped Miami East to 10-6 on the season, but more importantly to 7-2 in conference play, two games behind Covington, who has yet to lose a league match. The Buccs stand at 9-0 with a Tuesday win over Bethel.
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And with the addition of a couple of key players, including junior Whitney Enis, it buoys hope for the Vikings that if they win enough between now and the end of the regular season…they could still make a run at Covington for a share of the league title. They will, of course, have to have some help. The Vikes finish their regular season with Covington at home on October 10, preceded by dates with Troy Christian, Riverside, and Northridge, teams they have already beaten in round-robin conference scheduling. The Vikings lost to Covington, 3-1, back on September 17.
Whitney Enis missed significant time early in the year, but is back now as one of the Vikings most powerful hitters on offense. A perpetual ball of hustle, Enis adds a dimension to the Vikings’ attack that they didn’t have earlier in the year.
Lehman’s Lilly Graham gets an up-close view of a Miami East point in the first set of Tuesday’s match.
“The word that best describes Whitney is hustle,” said Fletcher. “You’re not going to see anyone on the court who hustles and works like Whitney. She’s strong, she’s one of the hardest hitters I’ve seen, and she’s working hard to mix up her hits. We’re changing some sets to take advantage of that…and we’re rolling.
“We were without Whitney and Khalia Lawrence in the pre-season for the first ten games, and we’ve just gotten them back. The hope is that now that the whole team is here we can be ready for the tournament.”
But first, can they be ready for Covington, whose schedule between now and October 10 is not that daunting. The Buccs have Riverside, then Lehman, and Bethel before that October date with East. The cumulative record of those three teams is just 7 and 24, following Tuesday’s play.
“They (Covington) will be here for our senior night [October 10], and I know that means a lot to our five seniors,” added Fletcher. “I know they’ll give it everything they have, and I can’t wait to see it.”
A lot of people will be anxious for it…including Whitney Enis.
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