Oxford Spikers end season 2nd in FML

The Oxford varsity volleyball team’s successful season came to end last Friday in the district final game against North Branch.
In front of a boisterous crowd of fans, the Wildcats took on league foe Brandon in the semifinal round of the tournament.
In a five game battle, Oxford persevered and ended the BlackHawks season.
‘We have met Brandon three times this season, they did take the first one away from us, but the girls made sure that was the only one.,? said Coach Kristi McDevitt. ‘We gathered a lot of information by watching game film on them and worked on exposing their weaknesses each and every time we played them.?
Against Brandon, Oxford’s fast offense and tenacious defense attributed to the win, that and the fact that Oxford’s blockers and diggers were able to virtually silence Brandon’s 6-foot-plus outside hitter who had given Oxford fits in the past couple of games.
‘Any time you have a player of her size and skill, she is going to be a force, but for the second time in a row, my blockers and diggers really stepped it up and because of that, she struggled to get the ball down on us,? McDevitt said.
Senior captain Kaitlin DuCharme led the Wildcats offensively with 20 kills against Brandon. Senior co-captain Elizabeth Hazelwood continued her performance on both sides of the ball, tallying 26 kill assists as a setter, and 8 kills as a hitter.
Other contributors offensively were sophomore Brittany Moncrieff with 10 kills and junior Karlyn Stroope with nine.
Oxford’s defense was all over the place, making great digs and seemingly impossible saves all night long. Senior defensive specialists Amanda Jolly and Kaity Fischer combined for 38 digs, and Moncrieff had 20 digs in the win.
After defeating the BlackHawks, the Wildcats had just a few minutes to re-group and rest before taking on state-ranked North Branch.
The Bronchos came into the game with a 69-2-1 record before facing the Wildcats. Oxford wasn’t deterred by the ranking or the record.
Despite losing the first game 10-25, the Wildcats came back strong in the next two games.
‘We tried too hard in the first game and it cost us mistakes on our side of the net,? McDevitt said. ‘Between games I told the girls to quit trying so hard, believe in their skills and abilities, and to go out there a prove it.?
The Wildcats seemed to relax a bit and went point for point with the Bronchos, but Oxford lost the second game 22-25.
Again in the third game was a point for point battle until 19-19, when North Branch pulled ahead for the 19-25 defeat of the Wildcats.
DuCharme was on top again with 11 kills and 10 digs, and Moncrieff had 7 kills 18 digs in the losing effort. Fischer and Jolly had 32 digs and was 20 for 24 passing.
‘I couldn’t have asked for a better season. These twelve girls came together as a team. The key to this season was the fact that they strived to get better all season long, and they truly enjoyed one another,? the coach said.
Oxford finished in second place in the Flint Metro League with an 8-3 record and 29-13-3 overall, the best record and league finish since McDevitt took the reins in 2003.