Girls Volleyball: Stover sparks Highland by Galion to move even in MOAC race
Thursday, September 28, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Highland’s Kameron Stover keeps the ball in play during the Scots’ 3-0 win over Galion in MOAC play Sept. 28. Photo: Kevin Lam
Before its match on Sept. 28, the Highland girls volleyball team honored Kameron Stover for reaching 1,000 career kills. The junior right-side hitter saved her celebration for the match.
Stover scored the Scots’ first four points and five of its first six to spark Highland in a 25-13, 25-22, 25-20 victory over Galion in Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference play.
The Scots (15-3, 9-2), ranked 14th in Division II, are even with the Tigers (15-3, 9-2) for first place in the league. A Highland loss would have all but ended its chances at another league title.
Both teams entered the match coming off a loss. So, Stover was focused on the task at hand over any personal milestones. She responded with 10 kills, a pair of blocks and an ace in the opening set as Highland rolled.
“I wasn’t even worried about (the milestone),” she said. “I was just focused on everybody on the team getting better and us working together and (playing consistently). It was definitely a good run that I had tonight, but I couldn’t have done it without everyone else around me.”
Galion’s Madelyn Schieber (#9) sets the ball for a teammate during the Tigers’ MOAC match at Highland Sept. 28. Photo: Kevin Lam
The Scots have dominated league play over the last decade, winning or sharing a league title every season since 2013, including a 56-0 mark and four titles in Knox Morrow Athletic Conference play from 2017 to ‘20. The other championships are in MOAC play.
The Tigers snapped Highland’s 136-match league winning streak last season and defeated the Scots 25-20, 25-21, 25-16 on Sept. 5. Highland hadn’t been swept in league play since 2012 – a span of 148 matches.
Highland had a 73-match home winning streak in league play snapped with a 25-21, 24-26, 25-22, 25-22 loss to Shelby on Sept. 26 and a string of 216 consecutive sets won on its home floor in league play was snapped in a 23-25, 15-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-11 win over Pleasant on Sept. 19.
“I’ve always told them what we’re doing and when it ends, we start a new streak,” Highland coach Rob Terrill said. “We’ve lost several streaks here just in the last 12 months. I think we’re still a pretty darn good volleyball team. We’ve got kids that know the game and work hard and they’re competitive. And I think that works well for us.”
Larsen Terrill and Camryn Miller had two aces apiece of the Scots’ six aces in the first set.
Highland’s Kameron Stover (#3) celebrates a point with her teammates during the Scots’ match against Galion Sept. 28. Photo: Kevin Lam
Galion’s Ashley Dyer had three kills in a 7-1 rally to give the Tigers, ranked sixth in Division III, an 18-16 lead in the second set. But Stover bookended a six-point surge with a pair of kills for Highland, which never trailed again in the set.
“(Coach Rob Terrill) said the past doesn’t matter,” Stover said. “We lost to Shelby (on Sept. 26), but it doesn’t matter because we have another chance at it. We didn’t have a lot of pressure on us. We had a lot of confidence coming into this (match).”
Dyer and Hailey Young each had a kill and combined on a block during a 6-0 run to pull Galion even in the third set. But two kills by Stover followed by a Camryn Miller ace put Highland up for good in the third set.
“Right now, we’re just (hurting) ourselves,” Galion coach Kathleen Davis said. “We’re overthinking everything. We’re analyzing every aspect of the game and it’s holding us back.
“I keep telling them they’re going to make this season what they want to make it. They still have that control every single day. It’s what they bring to the floor that’s going to decide whether they succeed or fail.”