Elizabeth Forward volleyball seeks to right ship after losses

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, September 30, 2018 | 10:18 PM

Previous Next

Previous Next

Every team with playoff aspirations wants to be streaking going into the final weeks of the regular season. Unfortunately for the Elizabeth Township girls volleyball team, it is streaking in the wrong direction.

After riding a five-game winning streak in Section 3-AAA play last week, the Warriors find themselves on a two-game losing streak.

“They were really pumped up for the Thomas Jefferson game,” Elizabeth Forward coach Kameron Smith said. “And two days later, we think we have (Laurel Highlands) on the ropes, and we kind of just fell apart there.”

Elizabeth Forward (6-3, 5-3) lost two heartbreakers: one to Class AAA No. 4-ranked Thomas Jefferson, 3-2, then a tight section loss to Laurel Highlands, 3-2.

Elizabeth Forward raced out to a 2-0 lead against Laurel Highlands and was ready to put the game away before falling flat in the third set.

“Give Laurel Highlands credit: They played really well, and once we got through the second game we just couldn’t find a way to score points,” Smith said.

Had Elizabeth Forward picked up the win, it would’ve been tied for second in the section with the Mustangs.

“I basically said, ‘Hey, is the season over? Are we out of the playoffs? No,’ ” Smith said. “We have to just keep working. There’s things that I could have done as a coach better. There’s we could have done on the floor better. It’s rough, and they were certainly upset and hopefully it’s just another chance for us to keep getting better.”

That’s why last weekend’s EF Invite could not have come at a better time. Smith said the season could have gone either way after the Laurel Highlands loss, but his Warriors rebounded by beating Class 4A North Hills, 25-18, in the championship match.

“We really needed to play well, and we really did play well,” Smith said. “Winning washed everything away. It was a really good feeling, especially after the week before.”

Elizabeth Forward will be road Warriors this week with matches at Ringgold (1-7) and Belle Vernon (1-7). The teams are tied for last in the section.

“It will give me a chance to give a lot people some playing time that might not get in the big matches,” Smith said.

Defensive specialist Taylor Ludwick is back after after sitting out two weeks because of a concussion. Ludwick, the Warriors’ captain and emotional leader, was instrumental in keeping the team focused following the Laurel Highlands loss.

“If she thinks the teams needs talked to, she’s going to talk to the team and say what she has to say,” Smith said. “She has the respect of everybody on the team.”

Leah Fournier leads the Warriors attack and has 193 kills this season. Smith said senior setter Liane Mooney is one of the hardest-working players he ever has coached. Senior libero Sara Beatty rarely comes off the floor and leads the team in digs with 200.

“(Beatty’s) been a big stronghold in the back, and she keeps balls up in the air that other girls might not be able to,” Smith said.

Entering the stretch run of the section schedule, the Warriors are pursuing something better than the No. 9 seed they had last season. The final section match of the season is at home against Thomas Jefferson.

“They still know that they have another shot at Thomas Jefferson,” Smith said. “I know that, especially the seniors, don’t want to be one and done in the playoffs. They want to make it something special.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Elizabeth Forward