Red Riders get confidence building sweep of Madonna
Trending
WEIRTON -- Coming into Tuesday, the Weir High volleyball team had been struggling to stop momentum swings from taking them out of their game.
Coach Fran Capaldi's Red Riders took what she hopes is a big step in learning how to deal with those key moments in matches Tuesday, and did so in a hostile environment on the road at city rival Madonna to take a 3-0 sweep of the host Blue Dons.
"It feels pretty good to get this win," Capaldi said. "We have been in a little bit of a slump, so it's good to get out of that and we always like coming here and playing. It gets our girls fired up. This can be a turning point for us."
Weir High (3-7) prevailed, 25-14, 25-17, 25-19, but led the second and third sets by just a point of two at multiple points and were able to fend off Madonna (3-3) when it seemed the momentum might be on the verge of shifting.
"There were a couple points where the momentum could have shifted, and that has really what has been holding us down the past few games is points that turn the momentum," Capaldi said. "I'm happy to see that we were able to push through and ultimately win those sets and the game.
"We always know coming in here that it's going to be a big game and and a big crowd, so it boosts our confidence to see we can come into an atmosphere like this and get a win."
Madonna, for its part, seemed to get stronger as the match went on, something that had coach Mike Orecchio optimistic after, but just could not find a way to get a lead and keep the match going.
"We're scrappy -- we're young and we're small, but we're scrappy," Orecchio said. "We're going to be alright. We have a lot of season left, and the OVACs and the tournament are what matters most. We're going to see (Weir) again and we'll be ready.
"We got better as we went. Nerves kind of set in early and I think that was one of the factors in the early sets."
For the Red Riders, Maleea Faulks had four aces, six kills, two digs and a block, Brayley Lash had six kills, an ace and two blocks, Mea Kaufman dished seven assists, two digs, two aces and a kill and Kylie Dean had nine aces and seven assists.
"They all hustled and they all did their jobs," Capaldi said.
Stats were not available for Madonna.
UP NEXT
Weir High: Returns home to host Toronto tonight.
Madonna: Is home again on Thursday hosting Linsly.