AU vs. Michigan Tech 9/19

W 25-21, 25-22, 27-25

After a rough start to the 2014 season with six straight losses on the road, the Ashland University Eagle’s volleyball team took their home court for the first time last Friday against Michigan Tech. 

“It was really nice to be at home, in front of a home crowd. There’s that sense of comfortability and knowing your surroundings,” said head coach Cass Dixon.

The Eagles were in a close battle with the Huskies all night, but were able to sweep all three sets against the Huskies. 

“Each time that we’ve stepped on the court, we’re getting better. Whether it results in a win or a loss, we’re getting better and that’s the important part,” Dixon said. 

Ashland’s offense was organized, cooperating, and controlled and that is what contributed most to this win. 

“We had good ball control, good setting, offensively we were on. We were in system quite often, and when we are in system, we are hard to beat. When we’re not in system, that’s where we’re struggling a little bit right now.”  

Freshman setter Jacqueline Tanguay recorded 36 assists with help from two big hitters. 

Rylee Scott led the Eagles with 15 kills. Casey Clark was right there with her with 10 kills. 

As a team, Ashland hit .189 on the evening. 

The Eagle defense was also a huge help in shutting down the Huskies. 

Rylee Scott had six block assists, Maureen Johnson had seven block assists, and libero Jennifer Vander Meer led the team in with 16 digs. 

The third set of the game, Michigan Tech jumped out with a 6-1 lead. But Ashland attacked back and kept the fight alive. 

A kill by Samantha Zuber tied the game at 24-24 and helped push the Eagles to take the win into extra points, 27-25.

“It’s a matter of continuing to stick with the game plan. We did a good job of not getting frustrated or tight in those situations. It’s a matter of focusing on the right things and the things you can control,” Dixon said. 

“There was an overall sense of confidence about being on our home court.”

AU vs. Northern Mich. 9/20

L 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 20-25

The second game of the weekend had the Eagles hosting the Northern Michigan Wildcats. Some of AU’s momentum from its first win of the season carried into the first set, but did not last as the Eagles fell short, 3-1

“It has always been a battle with us and Northern. It’s always been four or five sets and we have ended up on the winning side the majority of times since I’ve been here,” said Dixon.

During the first set, Ashland came out strong 10-5. Sam Zuber tallied fived strong kills in the set that helped the team take the lead and win the set. 

The turning point in the match was when Ashland lost organization and was not able to adjust to Northern Michigan’s plays that countered the Eagles’ mistakes. 

“They are a great program and have great players. They were able to capitalize on some of our weaknesses and we did not make quick adjustments,” said Dixon. “Being able to stick with the game plan while the weaknesses were exposed was the key for us.”

In order to create success for the Eagles, its all about consistency and time. 

This team has played stronger and overall better as the season has progressed, but the issue is still of working together and meshing on the court. 

“We have a lot of talent. We know what we look like on paper. It’s just a matter of putting all the talent together and transferring what we see on paper to the court,” said Dixon.  

The variety and diversity of athletes allows Dixon to move players around and see what works best for the team as a whole. 

Jamie Vander Meer was originally recruited as a hitter, but her ball control was strong so the move was made to make her libero. 

“Most of our players can play multiple positions, so it gives us freedom move around and make adjustments,” said Dixon.

Cutting down on unforced errors is something that Dixon also feels will help the team improve their season. 

“Sticking with the plan is what is our main focus. There isn’t a day where we say “we don’t have to work on this today,” no we can’t. If we want to turn this around, we need to stay disciplined and work hard every day.”

AU @ Lake Erie 9/23

W 25-12, 25-14, 25-20

AU travelled to Lake Erie College on Tuesday night and found its groove against an overmatched Storm squad.

The Eagles took the match in three straight sets in one hour and 17 minutes time. 

Ashland’s offense came out strong in the first set of the match, amassing 12 kills in 22 attempts and only one error. 

AU didn’t let up there, as they had 14 kills on 26 attempts in the second set. 

Lake Erie never got its offense going, as they had hitting percentage of .038 in for the match. 

The Eagles were led by Alli Cudworth, who recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs. 

Cudworth led all players in both categories. 

Casey Clark had 10 kills and Rylee Scott added 9 kills. 

Ashland is now 2-7 overall and 2-3 in the GLIAC.

Ashland’s next games will be at Lake Superior State on Friday, Sept. 26 and at Northwood on Saturday, Sept. 27.