Thomas Jefferson girls volleyball unbeaten through 1st half of section play
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Monday, October 1, 2018 | 9:24 PM
Thomas Jefferson rolled through the first half of section play in girls volleyball, culminating with a tense 3-0 victory Sept. 25 against rival Elizabeth Forward.
The TJ girls won by lopsided scores of 25-15, 25-12, 25-14 to remain undefeated at 7-0 in Section 3-3A, and go to 8-0 overall.
“We played a great match against EF,” coach Ron Kelly said. “Our first ball play was outstanding. Our serve-receive and defense set the tone, and we were able to finish at the net. We served well. We played a complete match.”
The Jaguars performed like a well-oiled machine to the delight of a loud, boisterous crowd in the TJ gym.
“Our team has such an amazing bond on and off the court,” said TJ’s Julia Micklo, a petite 5-foot-1 senior defensive specialist. “We can rely on everyone to make a play, not just one person, and I feel that is really great for the team dynamic.”
Micklo was joined in the team’s starting rotation against EF by senior libero Sydney Moran, junior MH Natasha Yanief, junior setter Abby Chalovich, senior DS Julia Fiedor, junior OH Ashleigh Haines, senior DS Mia Como, junior MH Tyler Turk, junior OH Tanner Patrick and sophomore RS Lillian Rockwell.
“We are really great at picking each other up and staying focused on our goal no matter what team we are facing,” Micklo said. “Our strong sense of family will definitely help us succeed further this season.”
Thomas Jefferson defeated Uniontown, Belle Vernon, Albert Gallatin, Ringgold, Yough, Laurel Highlands and EF in section play, plus South Fayette in a nonsection matchup.
“I think we’ve played well in the section,” Kelly said. “At times I felt we did not play our best. Our last two matches against Laurel Highland and Elizabeth Forward, we were strong. We had a few lapses against Laurel Highlands but stayed focused to win in straight sets.
“We will have some big away matches in the second half of the season. We play (at) Central Valley, Laurel Highlands and Elizabeth Forward.”
The TJ girls are scheduled to compete Oct. 20 in the North Allegheny tournament.
Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.
Tags: Thomas Jefferson
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