​Eagles get off to strong start, but fall to Guardians

by Michael Smith
 
Grain Valley was off to a good start.

The Eagles boys volleyball team won the first set against an undefeated St. Michael The Archangel Catholic Tuesday at home.

It looks like it was going to be a tight battle between two evenly matched teams. However, the passing, setting and ball striking from the Guardians got stronger as the game went on. The Eagles dropped the next three sets as St. Michael took a 23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-14 victory.

The match marked the first time the Eagles played four sets in a game. Fatigue was a factor in the loss, head coach Tori Squiers said.

“They were a little tired and that hurt us,” Squiers said. “We knew what we needed to do, and we executed in the first set. The second and third, we started letting our own errors get to us. St. Michael’s offense was spectacular, and we struggled to read and communicate on defense.”

“We have several weeks before the postseason starts. These are fixable things. We just must start playing as a team.”

Grain Valley (8-4) was the first team to win a set against a strong Guardians team. There were multiple lead changes in the first game and at one point the Eagles were down 20-19. A kill from junior Maddox Dresslaer sparked a 6-3 spurt to help his team take the first set. Junior outside hitter Ryan Rohr also had a big block in that stretch to fuel the run.

St. Michael led for most of the second set, but Grain Valley battled back to tie it at 16-all at one point following a kill from sophomore Jordan Jackson. The road team outscored the Eagles (8-4) 9-3 the rest of the way that was fouled by its opponent’s miscues and kills from St. Michael seniors Shea Gaffney and John Garside.

Grain Valley managed to take the lead on a pair of occasions early in the third set as a kill from junior Maddox Dresslaer gave his team a 9-8 edge. However, St. Michael went on a 5-0 run that helped them take control thanks to the serving of junior Benjamin Salanski. He had a float serve that was difficult for the Eagles to return as he notched two aces during that spurt.

“Our serve receiver really struggled with that,” Squiers said. “(Salanski) is a national player. He’s a great setter. It was good for us to see something like that.”

 The Guardians led from start to finish in the fourth game as Garside and Gaffney led the way with three kills each and senior Hayden Pace added two kills and an ace.

Despite the loss, there were some positive things for the Eagles to take away from the game. Senior middle hitter, Will Lindley, led Grain Valley with 11 kills. The 6-foot-6 senior provides a strong offensive and defensive presence at the net for the Eagles.

“He is an offensive beast,” Squiers said. “Feed him the ball. He is also a defensive beast by putting up a giant block.”

​Dresslaer added 10 kills of his own and Jackson had five.
 

Grain Valley senior Josiah Oehlke goes down for a dig during a 25-23, 19-25, 21-25, 14-25 loss to St. Michael The Archangel Catholic Thursday at home. Photo credit: Michael Smith

​Grain Valley junior outside hitter Ryan Rohr kneels down to bump the ball.
Photo credit: Michael Smith