Seward Takes Slug Fest Over Cloud

Wednesday night’s match for the Seward County Lady Saints certainly won’t be one that will try to remember too long, but needing three wins in their final three matches to win a conference championship going into their date with the Thunderbirds in the Greenhouse, they will take their three set win and move on after downing the visiting T-Birds by scores of 25-22, 25-22, 25-23 to take over the top spot in the league standings at nights end.

The first was a back and forth affair early on with Seward and Cloud playing to a 7-7 tie after 14 points of action. Cloud made a run midway through the set, taking their first multi-point lead of the night at 13-9 before a Lady Saint timeout. Still down three moments later, the Lady Saints went on a run of their own, quickly turning a 14-11 Cloud lead into a 20-15 Seward lead. But the Lady Saints couldn’t put the T-Birds away and Cloud closed back to within two at 22-20 and then at 24-22 before a Kaysie Paxton tip over the block finally sealed a 25-22 win to give Seward a 1-0 lead in the match.

The second set followed almost the same exact script as the first for the two teams as Cloud again jumped out to an early advantage before Seward made a midset push to tie it up and then take a 19-16 lead deeper into the set. A pair of Maritza Mesa kills around a Seward service error made it a four point game in favor of the Lady Saints and the cushion was just enough for Seward to hold off Cloud late 25-22 to go in front 2-0.

Again the Lady Saints started slow in the third, watching the T-Birds take an 8-5 lead playing with their backs to the wall. Seward battled back to tie the score at 11 midway through and then used a 5-1 push to open up a four point lead at 16-12. The Lady Saints looked like they were in business as a pair of Paxton kills pushed their lead to five at 20-15, but the T-Birds came roaring back, eventually taking a 22-21 lead before Seward was forced to call their final timeout of the set. The Lady Saints tied the score up with a sideout and went on top again with an ace from Daimond Aguinaldo. Up one in the waning moments of the set, Briana Domino came up with a huge solo block for the Lady Saints, putting them up two before a Mesa tip finished the T-Birds off in a 25-23 Seward win to sweep the match 3-0.

Seward nearly shot themselves in the foot one too many times in the victory as the Lady Saints committed an uncharacteristic 34 recorded errors in the three set match. The Lady Saints hit .261 as a team, getting 15 kills from Jayhawk West Player of the Week Mariana Nascimento and 21 combined from Mesa and Paxton in the win. Amanda Pereira dished out a team best 23 assists for Seward while libero Jazlyn Smith led the team with 11 digs.

Seward improves to 21-9 overall and 12-2 in Jayhawk West action with the victory, temporarily taking control of first place in the league standings with their bye coming up on Saturday. Cloud County falls to 11-14 and 5-8 in conference play where they now sit in a logjam in the middle of the standings.

The Lady Saints will get another extended break before taking the court again next Wednesday when the Barton Cougars come to town for a 6:30 first serve on Dig Pink Night in the Greenhouse.

SEWARD COUNTY/CLOUD COUNTY BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/wvball/2016-17/boxscores/20161019_6agn.xml>

Roy Allen