KARL PEARSON
ASHTABULA — The connection between a team’s spikers and their setter is one of the most vital elements for success in volleyball.
It seemed quite fitting, then, that the two Players of the Match from Tuesday’s Ashtabula County Women’s Scholar-Athlete Association Senior All-Star Match provided those functions for their teams during the season.
Geneva’s Taylor Webb, who earned Player of the Match in leading the Mariner squad to a 25-16, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14 victory over the Panthers in the match at SS. John and Paul’s Mahoney Gymnasium, continued in her role as a hammer. She scored eight points, but was an even more important factor in other facets of the game with 11 aces on a 15-of-15 spiking night, six ace blocks and an ace dink.
Conneaut’s Kelsey Prevot was the quarterback for the Spartans from her setter’s position. She was the main person providing that function for the Panthers, too, scoring a team-high eight points and mixing in two ace dinks to go with a 35-of-38 setting night with 20 aces in earning the POM honors for her team.
Webb was certainly pleased with her distinction.
“I thought it was a great experience,” she said. “I enjoyed playing with girls from other schools.
“I was kind of surprised I was Player of the Match. I thought (Conneaut’s) Nichele (Johnson) was going to get it. She played great.”
Johnson provided the other half of a one-two finishing punch for the Mariners. She contributed eight aces on 9-of-11 spiking, an ace block and an ace dink, in addition to six points.
Prevot seemed even a bit stunned to earn the honor for the Panthers.
“I’m excited about (being named Player of the Match),” she said. “I was actually surprised. If I could choose, I probably would have picked (Jefferson’s) Lizzy Ziemski.”
Ziemski finished the match with six points, had two aces on four-of-four spiking, two ace dinks and an ace block.
Getting to play with a different set of teammates, and having some of her teams on the opposition, was just fine with Prevot.
“Actually, we know each other pretty well from playing with a lot of these girls or against them,” she said. “It’s really a friendly thing. I really enjoyed myself.”
Webb could relate to that.
“We’ve worked hard the last two months, so I was nice to just go out and have fun,” she said. “We really know most of the other girls pretty well.
“It was nice to have an accomplishment like that. I was happy, too, that I was able to get through it without getting hurt, especially since I have basketball coming up.”
