Girls Volleyball: Palumbo, Dublin Jerome rally past Olentangy Liberty
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Dublin Jerome’s Mackenzie Palumbo hits the ball against visiting Liberty on Sept. 5. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Dublin Jerome girls volleyball coach Andrea Baylin gave Mackenzie Palumbo a big hug at the net after the Celtics defeated Olentangy Liberty in four sets on Sept. 4.
Palumbo, a sophomore outside hitter, reeled off four consecutive points in the fourth set and five overall as host Jerome ran off 10 consecutive points to finish off a 27-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-22 victory over the Patriots.
“Our setters (Audrey Taylor and Elle Spang) were doing a great job of getting the ball to one spot,” said Palumbo, who finished with 16 kills in the match. “Our passers were doing a great job on defense and serve-receive.
“So, I knew my teammates had my back and it was my turn – I needed to put the ball down. I believed in my team and I was confident the whole time. Our coaching staff is so wonderful. They’re all caring and loving, so it was great to hug her at the end.”
Baylin had seen this kind of thing out of Palumbo before.
Jetta Brenning of Olentangy Liberty passes the ball during the visiting Patriots’ match with Jerome on Sept. 5. Photo: John Hulkenberg
“I think her experience really helps her in the end,” Baylin said. “She started a little slow and I could tell her confidence wasn’t really there in the beginning. But to see her turn around like that as a sophomore is really impressive.
“This is the second time this season she’s taken over a match. Against Pickerington Central (on Aug. 24) she did the same thing where she racked off four or five kills on match point in a row. So, she was swinging as hard as she could with the (match) on the line. That’s what I love to see as a coach, especially from a young person like her, is the confidence in big moments.”
Taylor Bahnub, who had a pair of aces during the decisive run, finished with 19 kills for the Celtics.
“I just knew that I really wanted to be there for my team,” said Bahnub, a junior middle hitter. “It was a really important (match) for us and that started with the serve. I just felt like I had to go after it and I was not afraid. We were all there and we were all together in the moment and it was really something to be a part of.”
Izzy Coplan had 28 digs for the Celtics, who improved to 7-1 overall.
Liberty, which fell to 2-7 overall, hasn’t faced adversity like this in a long time. The Patriots have already equaled the amount of the losses in the last two seasons combined. The last time they finished under .500 was 2008 at 8-15.
Dublin Jerome’s Elle Spang (left) and Ellie Turk celebrate a point against visiting Liberty on Sept. 5. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Liberty used a 10-2 run to take a 22-15 lead in the fourth, led by Brianna Jarzabek’s three kills and a pair of kills by AC Loftus. Loftus finished with 14 kills and Olivia Mulder added 10 kills.
“I keep telling the girls that we’re on a roller coaster right now,” Liberty coach Jen Chapman said. “Our highs are high, but our lows are really low. We’re just trying to find that medium. I felt like we played better than we have the last couple of weeks. It’s just in those pressure situations (trying) to find ways to win.”
Like the fourth, the Patriots had a chance to close out the first set, leading 23-19 before three consecutive errors let Jerome back in.
Liberty had set point three times before Jerome rallied for the final three points, highlighted by a Jolie Sun kill and an Elliana Baker block.
Avery Tokarski, Elaina Richardson and Jetta Brenning each had eight kills for the Patriots. Richardson had five aces and four blocks, Brenning had 39 assists and Lauren Sackett finished 25 digs and four aces.
“(Liberty is) young and they don’t have as much experience on the varsity level,” Baylin said. “They’re going to be scary in the next couple of seasons … they’re going to be scary by the end of the year.”