Need a pick-me-up to start your week?  Look no further than Lady Cards volleyball, who have jumped out to a 3-0 start.  "Our goal has been to go 6-0 by Labor Day, so we're excited to be half way there," said coach Drew Naber.  After dropping the first set of the year 25-27, the Cards have rattled off 9 sets in a row to get the wins. 

The latest victory came on the road Saturday versus Taylor, a solid CHL team.  The Cards were a bit lethargic out of the gate and fell behind 8-1 in the first set.  They slowly turned the corner and scratched and clawed their way back to tie the set at 23-23.  When the pressure was on to close out the set, fortunately the team came through.    That was a huge momentum shift, and the Cards were firing on all cylinders in the second and third sets.  Scrappy play in the back row, led by senior libero Rosie Beck, kept points alive.  The frontline was in full blocking mode, frustrating Taylor's top middle hitter.  Kills and back row attacks were numerous and turned the tide toward victory.  "We really settled down in the second set and found our rhythm," said junior Kate White.  "We were getting good passes and sets, so it was up to us as hitters to then deliver.  The last 2 sets were the best we've played this year." 

We have another clip that deserves it's own tweet. Tamia with the killer swing into the left back of the Taylor defense! pic.twitter.com/f3YkBrklfB
— Colerain Cardinals Girls VB (@Colerain_VB) August 30, 2021
 

On Thursday, the team and its contingent of fans had their GPS's turned on for the journey to Goshen.  While the sets were competitive, the Cards were mostly in control of the game from the outset.  Goshen had a couple of formidable hitters, but the frontline of Colerain often proved to be an impenetrable wall.  Four points in a row in the first set resulted from blocks.  Tamia King, known for her vertical leap and aggressive play at the net, explained afterward, "That sequence of blocks really changed the momentum of the game. That's our job."  Rosie Beck also had a few long serving runs to build comfortable leads.

The first win of the season occurred on 8/21 at home versus Talawanda.  The Braves are an up-and-coming program in the SWOC, so it proved to be a very competitive match.  The first set went back and forth, but Talawanda pulled out the close win.  The Cards settled down, played their game and eventually took control the next 3 sets.  "The first set was a wake up call.  We have to be ready from the first point, but we did what we needed to do," said junior DS Neveah Lawson. 

It's a busy week coming up for the Cards, with 3 games starting Tuesday, 8/30 at Ross.  Ross has a strong team and is looking for revenge after being swept by the Colerain last year.  It's only a few miles down the road, so Cardinal fans have no reason not to attend.  A home game follows on Wednesday versus the Mustangs of Madeira, and a big crowd is expected.  Thursday wraps up with a game against Princeton on the road (also not very far away).  Please make a point to catch a game or two (or more) this week.  Go Cards!