Crestview tops LaBrae to stay perfect as Auer enters Crestview record books
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COLUMBIANA -- The Crestview Rebels volleyball program is one of the best in this area.
In Thursday's match against the undefeated LaBrae Vikings, they showed just how dominating they can be.
The Rebels knocked off the Vikings 25-8, 25-10, 25-9 for a straight-set sweep, improving to 9-0 on the season, and 7-0 in the MVAC.
The Rebels have now won 84 consecutive league contests.
"It's crazy, it's amazing," Rebels head coach Alisha Auer said about the streak. "The league is getting stronger, and I tell the girls that the target on our back gets bigger every day. We have to keep plugging away to get it done."
The Vikings dropped to 8-1 overall on the season and 5-1 in the MVAC as the Vikings struggled to control the net against the bigger Rebels team.
"Coming into tonight, we knew we would have to play some big defense because we are not as big," Vikings coach Courtney Kish said. "We knew we would have to play on the scrappy end."
More importantly for the Rebels, it was a record-setting night for senior Grace Auer. She entered the night needing just six kills and 14 digs to reach the 1,000 milestone. She did both.
Auer recorded her 1,000th kills in the second set with the Rebels leading 17-3. She followed that up with her 1,000th dig late in the third set with the Rebels leading 23-9.
"It is an amazing feeling," Grace Auer said with a huge grin. "But I couldn't have done it without everybody, God, my teammates, my coaches, everybody. I'm so grateful for them all to be on my side. Breaking it just makes me want to keep going and see how far I can get.
Her mom and coach added: "It was really cool how it worked out that way. She ended up getting 1,000 assists last year, so now she has 1,000 sets in three different categories which is mind-blowing. She is hard-working. She is a gifted volleyball player, but she works very hard in the off-season and in the gym."
Leading the Rebels team, Grace finished the night with 12 kills, 15 assists, and 14 digs. Abby Emch dominated at the net with 13 kills and four blocks. Lainey Auer recorded seven kills, 15 assists, and nine digs, while Julia Blasko had five kills, 11 digs, and 17 points.
"Abby (Emch) is just such an awesome person and my best friend," Grace said. "She is an absolute beast and I will continue to watch her in the future."
The Rebels didn't leave much doubt in the outcome of the game as they jumped ahead of the Vikings in the first set on their way to a 25-8 win. They followed it up by jumping out to a quick 13-1 lead in the second set before the Vikings rallied to make it 23-10. The Rebels would go on to win the second set 25-10. The Rebels led from beginning to end again in the third set, taking it 25-9.
"It was a big game for the league standings and also just for the records," Coach Auer said. "We ran a very fast offense. Our ball control was great, and our centers did an awesome job of putting the ball in a hitting position."
Despite the 3-0 loss, the Vikings battled from the first serve to the final point. But more importantly, it gave the young Vikings team a chance to gain experience and learn from the challenge of facing the Rebels.
Leading the Vikings on the night were Tayler Burns with five kills, and seven digs, while Rylee McDonough recorded four kills, four assists and five digs. Shelby Bragg added six assists.
"We're a young team, I have two seniors with one that plays primarily in rotation and the other is a role player. So, coming into tonight seeing a quicker pace, they (Crestview) are a quick offensive team, it was something that we need to work on defensively," Kish said. "I thought our service line was a lot better tonight, so that was a positive."
The Vikings will look to bounce back this Saturday when they participate in a tri-meet at Windham with Rootstown. The Rebels will look to continue their unbeaten streak on Monday when they play at Mineral Ridge.