WILMINGTON — After a win in the first set against Paul VI (N.J.) on Tuesday night, the Padua volleyball team found itself trailing in the second, 24-18. The Pandas, however, scored seven straight points, and although they ended up dropping the set, the comeback vibe stuck with them in a thrilling come-from-behind five-setter on Oct. 10 on Broom Street.
Set scores were 25-21, 29-31, 17-25, 25-23, and 15-10.
A tip kill by Vanessa Mancini started the second-set rally, and six points later, Mancini’s attack went off the fingers of one of the Eagles to put the Pandas in front, 25-24. But the fun was just beginning. Two Pandas errors gave Paul VI its second set point, but Padua battled back to tie the score at 27. Kaitlyn Maus’ ace gave the Pandas their second set point, only to see the Eagles score the next two. After one more tie, Kassidi Avent scored on a kill, and an attack error from Padua finally brought the second to an end.
The Eagles, with a lineup full of big hitters, kept the Pandas’ back line busy all night. Maus, the libero, was all over the court, and she had plenty of help from teammates like Caroline Buggy and Ally Lang.
Still, the visitors stormed out to an 8-3 lead in the third, getting two big swings from Emily Ezeiruaku during that stretch. The Pandas got close, but Megan Evans helped the Eagles get the lead to seven. Padua eventually cut the deficit to four, at 19-15, but Paul VI went on a 5-0 run with Maggie Carcillo on serve and took the set and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Aanya Yatavelli’s kill gave the Pandas a 6-4 lead in the fourth, but the visitors from Haddonfield, N.J., ran off the next five. It was 14-11 when a service error gave the Pandas a point and the serve, and they took advantage. Kaitlyn Leberstien ran off three straight aces, putting Padua on top, and two Eagles errors added to that lead.
The Eagles hung close, but an ace off the tape from Avery Pilger extended the Pandas’ lead to 21-17. The next two points belonged to Paul VI, but they surrendered those right back on an attack error and another ace, this one from Eva Stimmel. Consecutive bombs from the Eagles had the home fans a bit nervous, and it got a big more tense inside the gym when Paul VI got to within one at 24-23. This time, however, Padua got the win when an Eagles serve flew into the net.
The fifth set, which goes only to 15 points, started inauspiciously for the Pandas. Evans capped a 3-0 start with an ace, but Padua knotted the score on a service error, a smash from Yatavelli and a Leberstien surprise attack that came after Maus made some incredible saves during a rally. The Pandas saw their own lead, this one a modest 6-4 advantage, disappear, and the deciding set was tied at 6.
A costly net violation put the Pandas in front, with Pilger following with an ace, but the lead wasn’t safe. The Pandas led, 9-8, when Mancini got an attack off her fingertips to fall, and Leberstien scored on a big block. The score was 12-10 when Padua coach Rainbow Shaw-Giaquinto called a timeout. The final three points came on Eagles errors, and when the last attack went beyond the end line, but Pandas celebrated with their junior varsity on the court.
Final statistics were not available early Wednesday morning. Padua improved to 7-4 and hosts Garnet Valley (Pa.) on Thursday at 7:15 in the last of a four-match homestand.
For Paul VI, this was just their second loss in 16 matches.
All photos by Mike Lang.
