Girls Volleyball: Musick, Matheny help Hartley down Watterson in four sets
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Bishop Hartley’s Kaylee Musick saves a ball at the sideline during the Hawks’ match with visiting Bishop Watterson at Hartley Oct. 11. Photo: Kevin Lam
Whether it’s yin and yang, fire and ice, or night and day, setters Kaylee Musick and Mallory Matheny are the perfect combination of skill and personality.
So, when the Hartley girls volleyball team fell behind by nine points in the first set, it wasn’t over.
The Hawks got within one point before dropping the set. But the momentum of the comeback fed them to a 23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-15 victory over visiting Watterson to win the Central Catholic championship outright on Oct. 11.
“She’s more of a vocal leader and I just lead by action,” said Musick, a senior six-rotation player. “I think we work really well together. We just keep each other calm and that helps the rest of (the team).”
Musick is even-keeled and steady, while Matheny, a sophomore, is fiery and always communicating, so the two play well off one another.
Bishop Hartley’s Mallory Matheny sets the ball in the Hawks’ four set win against Bishop Watterson at Hartley Oct. 11. Photo: Kevin Lam
“Kaylee is the calm one,” said coach Michael Rahe, whose team improved to 16-5 overall and 4-0 in CCL play. “She just comes out, does her job and gets it done. Mallory is more vocal (and) she’s a heck of a ballplayer. You need different attitudes and mindsets because each one can connect with each one of our players in a different way. They work really well together and they’re great leaders.”
Down nine points in the first set was no big deal for Hartley, which overcame a two-set deficit to beat the Eagles in five on Sept. 20 at Watterson.
“That’s just my kids,” Rahe said. “They play hard and they want to win.”
Musick had three kills in a four-point rally to help the Hawks pull within 18-14. Then Patience Locklear had a block and Michaela Murray followed with an ace as Hartley pulled within one before a Layla Hoying block clinched the opening set for the Eagles.
Bishop Watterson’s Macie Moreland (#16) gets the kill during the Golden Eagles’ match against the host Bishop Hartley Hawks Oct. 11. Photo: Kevin Lam
Macie Moreland had a kill and a pair of blocks and Hoying a kill and an ace during a 9-0 run to give Watterson a 12-3 lead in the first.
“Our team fights really hard when we’re down,” Musick said. “So, I think we just had grit and fought back from it. We just know we can beat them and we have that in the back of our minds. So, we keep fighting no matter what.”
Hartley overcame an early 5-1 deficit in the second set. Mia Robertson had two kills, a block and an assist in a 9-3 rally to give the Hawks the lead for good late in the frame.
Murray had a pair of aces in a 6-0 rally midway through the third set to give Hartley the lead for good and the Hawks scored four of the first six points of the fourth set and never trailed again.
Watterson coach Stephanie Grieshop was a little more introspective on the match.
“We had 12 mistakes in the first set,” she said. “We had 17 errors in the second set and then 17 in the third. So … we gave it to them and that’s been our story all season. We just lack discipline and sometimes we’re up and down with our competitive fire.”