LABEL: HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL

By Bob Ratterman

Contributing Writer

Talawanda used big runs to win a hard-fought volleyball match over the Hamilton Big Blue on Wednesday night at Talawanda, sweeping three games, 25-12, 25-14 and 25-19.

The win kept the Braves undefeated at 9-0, and they have not lost a set. Hamilton gave them a challenge, but those big runs spelled the difference.

“I told (Hamilton coach) Dwayne (Stacy) this might be as tough a team as we’ve played,” Talawanda coach Ernie Gilbert said. “We would go up 5, 6 or 8 points and they would dig a ball. We had to earn every point. I did not see any cheap points out there.

“Hamilton played very tough and determined volleyball.”

The teams played even with neither able to mount a lead of more than four points early in the first set, but Talawanda opened a six-point lead at 16-10 and then extended that to the final 25-12 difference.

Hamilton opened the second set strong and had a four-point lead that was maintained until Talawanda pulled even at 11-11. It was also tied at 14-14, but the Braves ran off 11 straight points to win the game.

The third set saw Talawanda run to an early lead and then lengthen it to 21-11. That was when Hamilton put on its best run. Big Blue was down 13 points at 21-8 but outscored the Braves 11-4 the rest of the way in a 25-19 Braves win.

“We create huge deficits in practice for the girls to overcome and that prepared them for tonight,” Stacy said. “They had to do the job.”

Stacy praised the effort of senior outside hitter Brooke Moran.

“She got blocks and had a good game against Rachel (Vidourek),” Stacy said. “She wanted to play Talawanda this year and she got what she wanted.”

Stacy said his Big Blue uses a system learned from Gilbert at an Ohio Elite Camp three years ago.

“I told Ernie, ‘Your girls never die. Every time I thought we had a run, you put it on the floor,’ ” he said. “The offense and defense we use, I learned from him. We are 9-4 now with his offense. They have a great team. They are just so talented.”

The Big Blue stands fifth in GMC play behind four teams tied at 2-2 and plays at Colerain tonight. Talawanda leads the SWOC with its 5-0 league record and is at Wilmington for a league match tonight.