The varsity volleyball team faced off with the Clio Mustangs last Thursday in at the Ian Smith gymnasium.
‘This was our first look at the newcomers to the league, we wanted to give them a proper welcoming into the league by sending them home with a loss,? coach Kristi McDevitt said.
The Ladycats did just that. The scores of the game were 25-22, 25-10, and 25-23.
Junior Danielle Wicker and freshman Brittany Moncrieff each posted 6 kills, while senior captain Mykala Salquist dominated the net with nine kills and four blocks on the night.
On Saturday, it was on to the Lake Orion Invitational. The Ladycats finished third out of 8 teams.
‘It was a respectable finish, but we let a couple teams slip by that shouldn’t have, but overall we played well,? McDevitt said. The team ended the day with a 4-1-2 record.
Oxford defeated Port Huron, Warren Lincoln, Avondale, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, split with Lake Orion and Brighton, and lost to Walled Lake Northern. Senior captain Shana Jones had 45 kills, Wicker finished with 28 kills and 68 digs, and Moncrieff had 16 kills and 6 blocks.
It was a heartbreaker on Monday night at Oxford. The Ladycats faced off with the undefeated Lapeer West Panthers. Each game was close and came down to the fifth game to decide the winner.
In the first game, Oxford jumped out to an 8-1 lead, but couldn’t hold on to their lead and dropped the game 23-25. In the second game, Oxford jumped out in front again with a 9-1 lead, but again blew their lead and kept the Panthers close. It came down to a nail biting finish, each point a battle, until Oxford finally prevailed 34-32.
‘That game was hard fought, and although I was upset we lost the lead, I was happy that we didn’t give them the game this time,? McDevitt said.
In the third game, Oxford won 25-22, but could hold on in the fourth game, losing 22-25. In the best of five format, it came down to the final match which is only played to 15 points. Oxford had the Panthers in a corner, winning 14-11, before siding out and losing the serve.
‘All we had to do was side out for the rally point to win the game, but we blew it big time,? McDevitt said.
Oxford committed two fatal errors that put the Panthers at 15 points. In a game where you must win by two points, Oxford sided out to tie the game, but couldn’t convert off the serve. Lapeer West finished the game off a big block to win 17-15.
In her debut on the varsity team, sophomore Karlyn Stroope rocked the house with 21 kills, a team high.
‘I moved Karlyn up last night to fill a void in our lineup. I’d say it was a right move, she really proved herself tonight,? McDevitt said. Wicker finished with 17 kills and Jones with fourteen.
Oxford is now 2-2 in the FML and 14-7-2 overall. The Ladycats face off with the Tigers at Fenton on Thursday.
Freshman Volleyball
Last Tuesday night, Oxford’s freshmen volleyball season started out with a bang by defeating Lapeer East and Holly. Jordan Pilette and Leessa Collier led their team to their victories with their serves. Jordan served 20 points with 8 aces and Leessa served 16 points with one ace.
Thursday night, Oxford’s freshmen volleyball team continued their winning streak by defeating Clio with scores of 25-19 and 25-17. Hannah George had a great night serving 11 points and earning seven kills. Anna Moses also was a key factor in the teams victory with her 80 percent on target passes. The freshmen volleyball team is now 3-0 in the FML.