CLARION, Penn. — The Lake Erie women's volleyball started off their 2023 season at the Clarion University Invitational for a two-day tournament against Fayetteville State, Saginaw Valley State, Shippensburg, and Daemen. The Storm faced the Broncos and the Cardinals for day one on September 1st, followed by the Raiders and the Wildcats for day two on September 2nd. The tournament ended with Lake Erie four successful sets, yet were unable to secure a win. The Storm now have a 0-4 record with hopes to improve at the next invitational.
Senior captain Dora Olah was awarded All-Team Tournament for the weekend, after stellar offense for Lake Erie as she achieved her career high of 19 kills in the first game of the invitational.
DAY ONE
GAME ONE
The Storm started off the invitational against the Fayetteville State Broncos. In a five set battle, the Broncos came out on top. Both sides stayed consistent with a back and forth score, until the Storm took a 16-13 lead in the first set. Freshman Ni'yah Fuggs recorded her first collegiate kill from junior captain Simone Schurr early on, followed by freshman Jenna Styles picking up her first assist from a kill by senior captain Dora Olah. The Broncos were able to tie it up at 18-18, and despite final efforts from the Storm with kills from senior Alexandra Matthews, sophomore Jessica Ickes, and senior Anna Lewis, Fayetteville took the set 25-23. Lake Erie recorded 14 kills in the first set combatting the Broncos' 10 kills.
The second set began with a string of attack errors on both sides, before Lewis put down the Storm's first kill of the set. Sayles quickly dropped a service ace for the Storm to put things in motion. With back and forth kills and aces, the score was tied up at 13-13 in the second set. The Broncos would then go on an unstoppable run, giving them a 20-13 lead. A service and attack error from Fayetteville gave the Storm some points, followed by another kill from Lewis, but the Broncos held their lead. Another kill from Lewis and two from Ickes had the Storm battling in the end, but the Broncos took the second set 25-19.
The Storm came into the third set with fire. Two attack errors mixed with three kills from Olah gave the Storm an early 5-2 lead, right before Lake Erie would go on a run led by Ickes. Ickes put down two service aces to pair with errors from the Broncos, giving the Storm a 9-2 lead. Fayetteville battled with a short run, which was ended by a kill from Lewis. The Storm kept putting away kill after kill, with fighting response from the other side. After another kill from Fuggs, the Storm went into the end of the set with a 20-15 lead. A kill and an ace from Olah, two kills from Matthews, and a kill from Lewis handed Lake Erie the third set with a score of 25-19, forcing a fourth set.
The fourth set matched the energy from previous sets, with tied scores all game. At 13-13, Olah put away the ball to lead Sayles into a short, yet needed service run. The Storm came out with a 17-13 lead in the fourth, followed by more kills and Broncos errors. Final efforts from Fayetteville were not enough to combat the Storm, as Fuggs finished the set with a kill to give Lake Erie the 25-20 win, forcing a fifth and final set.
The fifth set was packed with kills from both teams. Ickes, Olah, and Lewis started off the set with a kill each, which was matched by the Broncos. The Storm found themselves down at 7-4 in the middle of the set, but a kill from McMoore kept them alive. Still fighting to catch up, another run from Sayles helped tie things up at 12-12. Olah and McMoore each recorded two kills in the run to get things back on track. Kills from Lewis and Matthews gave Lake Erie the match point at 14-13, yet the Broncos did not budge. A final kill from McMoore and a Broncos' error kept the Storm fighting, but Fayetteville put away back to back kills in the end to give them the 18-16 fifth set win.
Olah would finish the match with a career high of 19 kills. Lewis would also reach her career high of 14 kills. Fuggs completed her first collegiate match with three kills and three digs. Sayles finished her collegiate debut with 26 assists, followed by Schurrs' 24 assists, which match her career high.
GAME TWO
The Storm faced off against the Saginaw Valley Cardinals for their second match of the invitational. The Cardinals were victorious over the Storm in a four set battle, with Lake Erie taking the first set.
The Cardinals took an early 3-0 lead in the first set, to which the Storm answered with two kills from Fuggs, a kill from Lewis, and a Cardinal attack error to bring them back. Olah then went on a run after putting away her first kill of the match, giving the Storm the 9-5 lead. Kills from McMoore, Matthews, and Olah brought the Storm to a 22-15 lead. The Cardinals combatted with a short run to bring them to a two point deficient, yet the Storm were triumphant after multiple Saginaw errors to give them the 25-23 first set win.
The second set stayed well matched from both sides, with a 6-6 tie early on. The Cardinals then pulled away with strong offense and Storm errors to give them a 17-10 lead. A kill from Olah and two services aces from Matthews kept the Storm fighting, yet more errors and Cardinal kills ended up giving Saginaw the 25-17 second set win.
The third set was anyone's game. The score was tied again at 6-6, before the Cardinals pulled away again. With Saginaw up 14-9 in the middle of the set, efforts from Fuggs and Olah tried to bring the Storm back. The lead grew further to 20-14 going into the end, with the Cardinals going on back to back runs. A kill from Matthews with some Cardinal errors gave the Storm some points, yet Saginaw took the third set 25-17 giving them the 2-1 lead in sets.
The Storm went into the fourth set swinging, with a kill from Ickes to start things off. Both sides stayed competitive, with the Storm looking to force a fifth and final set. Saginaw pushed ahead to take a 13-9 lead, yet the Storm had an answer. A kill from Fuggs and two from Olah sparked the team, yet the Cardinals brought it to 14-12 with a kill of their own. Senior Julianna Krebasch put down a kill from Sayles to bring it to 14-13 Cardinals up by one. Neither team gave up, with an 18-18 tie going into the end of the set. A run from Sayles with kills from McMoore and Olah gave the Storm a 24-21 lead. Saginaw was not done fighting, and tied it up 24-24. The points would go back and forth up to 29-29, yet a final kill from Saginaw and error from Lake Erie gave the Cardinals the 31-29 match win.
Freshman Lauren Pallone made her collegiate debut in the Storm's second game of the season, finishing with one kill and three digs. Schurr and Sayles each recorded 14 assists, and Olah kept her offense energy from the first game finishing with 15 kills to lead the Storm.
DAY TWO
GAME 1
The Storm faced the Shippensburg Raiders for their first match of day two. The Raiders took all three sets from the Storm, with fighting offense from Ickes, Olah, McMoore, and Lewis, leading the team in kills. Shippensburg found themselves at an early 9-2 lead in the first set, to which Olah responded with a short service run to help bring back Lake Erie. The Raiders then went on a longer run to make it 16-7. A kill from Ickes ended the run, and Lake Erie was able to go on a run led by senior Peyton Lemmer. Final efforts from the Storm included a kill from McMoore mixed with Raiders' errors, yet Shippensburg took the set 25-17.
The second set had consistency from both sides. At a 7-7 tie, the Raiders pulled ahead by a six point run. Matthews and Ickes put away a pair of kills, yet the Raiders continued to find the right placement, as they took the second set 25-16.
Lake Erie fought in the third set to try and force a fourth. Shippensburg found themselves at a 19-12 lead going into the end of the set, but a kill from Olah gave the Storm a chance. Junior Brooklyn Broadway would then go on a four point run to bring things back to 20-18, Storm down by two. The Raiders responded with a kill, but Schurr followed with another run for the Storm to give them the 23-22 lead. Despite Ickes' efforts with a kill at the end, Shippensburg finished with a run on their side of the net to give them the 26-24 match winning set.
Schurr finished the match with 13 assists, with Sayles behind at ten. Olah and Broadway picked up six digs each.
GAME 2
Lake Erie finished the invitational with a match against the Daemen Wildcats. In a four set battle, the Storm were unable to find themselves with a win. The first set was controlled by the Wildcats' side of the net, with a score of 25-9. Olah, Ickes, McMoore, and Lewis each fought with kills for the Storm, but Daemen was strong with service aces and offensive plays.
The second set stayed evenly matched, before the Wildcats went on a short run to take an 8-4 lead. Ickes shut it down with a kill, yet Daemen continued to pull ahead. Kills from Sayles and Matthews in combination with Wildcat errors could not keep Lake Erie in the game, as Daemen took the second set 25-14.
Lake Erie went into the third set looking to force a fourth, and after a tie score of 10-10 the Storm were able to gain a comfortable lead from strong offense and Daemen errors. They took the third set 25-21 which sent the game into a fourth set.
The fourth set started off with a Wildcat service run, to which the Storm had to find an answer for. Olah was a crucial part in keeping the Storm in the game with her offense, yet Daemen was consecutive with kills to keep them ahead. Storm errors and solid offense gave Daemen the fourth set win, 25-19.
Olah finished the match with 11 kills, followed by McMoore and Ickes with five each. Senior Alana Stevens led the Storm in defense with ten digs. Freshman Sayles came out with 12 assists to add to her collegiate start.
Lake Erie will continue their 2023 season at the D'Youville University Invitational starting on Friday, September 8th. Their first match of the tournament is against the College of Saint Rose Golden Knights at 3 PM. A string of road games will continue up until the Storm's first home game on Wednesday, September 20th at 6 PM to host the Walsh Cavaliers for a G-MAC matchup.
