Lyons outlasts Waubonsie Valley in three games

Updated: May 24, 2011 10:21PM

When two evenly-matched teams meet the outcome is usually determined by execution.

Lyons managed to perform slightly better than Waubonsie Valley at the York Regional Tuesday night and ousted the Warriors 25-23, 20-25, 25-23. The Warriors held a slim 19-17 edge in game three but could not close the match.

“The bottom line was they made more plays when they needed to,” Waubonsie Valley coach Al Lagger said. “They executed when they needed to, and we did not. We made mistakes at the wrong time, and it cost us.”

Chris MacFayden’s crosscourt spike attempt landed inches out of bounds making the score 19-18. Brian Ramm smacked a kill for Lyons and added a block for the next two points before a net violation put the Warriors down 21-19. MacFayden answered with a kill shot, but Ramm responded with a tip for a point and Mark Hogan and Kevin McMahon combined for a block.

The Warriors (23-12) pulled within a point after a kill by Will Gautschi and a long return by the Lions. Nathan Gornik and Sean Keene traded kills before Hogan ended the match with a blast that hit near the backline.

“When you trade blows like we did tonight, it comes down to executing, passing and doing all the things right,” Waubonsie Valley senior Jordan James said. “They were able to predict some things that we were doing, and we weren’t able to adjust quick enough.”

“In moments like this, the smart points about volleyball have to come out,” said Lyons coach Joann Pyritz, who has guided her teams to three fourth place finishes and a third place trophy at the state tournament. “We spent a lot of time talking about the game plan. We had to do smart things and make the right call.”

The Lions (22-14) countered the Warriors lengthy front line with a tandem or a trio of blockers. Lyons tallied nine points on blocks while minimizing its mistakes.

“What came up in my scouting was they had three kids 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-7, so I was questioning how we would block and how we would avoid their block,” Pyritz said. “We tried to use some different strategies, and we did try to use some offspeed in the middle. They seemed vulnerable there, so we just kept trying to hit it.”

Waubonsie Valley trailed 22-16 in the first game but rallied for five straight points. Yet that was as close as the Warriors would get as Jack O’Malley scored two kills before Gornik iced the game with a slam.

Down 11-7 in game two, the Warriors answered the bell and gained a 13-12 margin behind three kills from Selby Wilson, an ace by Luke Furman and a kill by MacFayden. A blast by James handed game point to the Warriors. A double hit violation by the Lions evened the match.

“This team is leaving with the second best record in school history,” Lagger said. “The eight seniors have been together since they were freshmen, and it’s rare to have eight kids stay together that long.”

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