Geibel Catholic too much for Frazier
In a battle of section powerhouses, the Geibel Catholic Lady Gators flexed their offensive muscles, proving to be too much for Frazier as they swept the Lady Commodores in three games 27-25, 25-19, 25-18 Tuesday night. Senior outside hitter Natalie Hozak and junior middle hitter Samantha Hawk provided much of the offense for Geibel, combining for 42 kills in the match, while senior setter Chelsey Kreinbrook added 44 assists.
“With the hitters we have, we can wear some teams down a little bit,” said Geibel coach Rick Watkins.
In the first game, Geibel, behind the strength of an early 6-1 run, held off the Commodores 27-25 in what proved to be the closest game of the match. Trailing most of the game, Frazier mounted a furious comeback late to make it interesting, tying the game at 22, 23, 24, and 25 before eventually falling.
“It would have been nice to take a game from them,” said Frazier coach Mandy Hartman, talking about the close game one loss. “I mean they are the no. 1 ranked team in the WPIAL. So to take a game from them would have been nice, but would it have made a difference in the outcome? No, not right now. They have Kreinbrook and they have Hozak, bottom line.”
Hozak posted a match-best 19 digs, while also tallying 19 kills, second only to Hawk’s 23.
Game 2 saw both squads trading sets of scoring runs early. Right of the bat, Frazier went on a 6-1 run, only to be answered immediately by a 5-1 Geibel scoring streak. Midway through the game, both sides traded 4-0 spurts, but ultimately, it was a 7-2 Geibel run that capped the second game.
Geibel ran into trouble in the service game, though, in the decisive third game, but it did not seem to affect them as the Gators never trailed in the game en route to capping off a three game sweep.
“We got some kids playing for their fourth year in Chelsey and Natalie, and Samantha is in her third year,” said Watkins. “I think a little experience, big game experience, took over and we were able to separate a little bit.”
Junior outside hitter Kate Oldham paced Frazier with a team-high nine kills, while senior setter Rachel Hudik contributed 21 assists. Defensively, junior Sara Zebley added 13 digs.
With the win, Geibel runs its undefeated record to 7-0 (6-0), while Frazier falls to 5-2 (4-2).
“I was pleased with the first two games,” said Hartman. “I’m not happy with the amount of serves that we missed. I’m not happy with the blocking, but that’s stuff we still have a lot of time to work on.”
The Commodores will have the opportunity to avenge the lopsided loss Oct. 19 as the two meet again in Perryopolis.
“To tell you the truth, I’m not looking forward to going to Frazier,” said Watkins. “It’s always tough to play there. Let’s put it this way. I won’t be surprised if we lost a match there. Tonight, they looked us in the eye and said bring it, and we brought it and they just brought it right back at us.”
Frazier will attempt to rebound on the road in a 7 p.m. matchup Thursday at West Greene, while the Gators look to continue their winning ways at 7 p.m. today as they host Carmichaels.