Amherst coach Felicia Sanchez loves to schedule Sylvania Northview, and it showed May 1.
The Comets went down to the wire on the road to defeat the Wildcats earlier in the year, and Amherst engaged in a five-set battle at home.
Northview forced Amherst to play its first fifth set of the season. However, the new predicament resulted in a new obstacle the Comets passed — winning the fifth set, 15-11.
“Since Year 1, our games with Northview have been just like that, sharing sets the entire game. That is why we love scheduling them,” Sanchez said. “I know that Toledo is far, but we love playing those Toledo teams. … We will schedule them until they no longer want to play us, because this is the kind of game that we get and it prepares us for our postseason.”
Amherst trailed early, but won, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21, 18-25, 15-11.
“These games give us an opportunity to practice those high-pressure moments,” Sanchez said. “I told them several times that I know that you do not feel good right now, but they never lost a Set 1 and won. Today they did. You need to feel that. That was our first Set 5, and we need to feel that (pressure).”
On the final day before the OHSAA tournament seeding, the Comets improved to 13-6 and Northview dropped to 9-9.
“I am so proud of them,” Sanchez said. “Every time they have been faced with a big moment this year, they have shown up. I couldn’t be more proud and the players that are coming up are freshmen making that key dig, or block.”
Despite dropping the first set, Amherst duo Gavin Beckler and James Ludwig began to set the tone at the net.
Ludwig (15 kills) and Beckler (19), who play club together at Cleveland Volleyball Company (CVC), combined for 34 of Amherst’s 47 kills.
“James (Ludwig) is leading us in the back row. His serve receive is impeccable. The James-Gavin (Beckler) combo is so much fun to watch,” Sanchez said.
Beckler had a well-rounded second-set performance, leading the charge with nine points. Two points came from blocks, with four aces and three kills.
“We play club together and have been teammates for this entire season. We have built up a lot of chemistry through the years,” Ludwig said.
He went on to have a seven-kill third set and added four more in the fourth.
“I was just trying to hit different shots, trick them up so they do not know where I am going and can’t read me,” Beckler said.
Sanchez also gave credit to setter Joe Penano for efficiently distributing the ball.
“You can have these big monster hitters, but if you do not have a setter to get them the ball, that is irrelevant,” she said.
Both teams were evenly matched in the first four sets.
As Amherst dictated portions of the game with tough serves, Northview’s offense was in full swing with Xavier Hale (14 kills) and Drew Longardner (13).
The Comets and Wildcats traded leads in the fifth set, but Amherst gained control with a 6-1 run for a 13-10 lead.
As Beckler occupied the front row, Amherst went on to finish the final set.