MILLTOWN – Senior standout Savannah Seemans had 19 kills and 12 digs as Saint Mark’s overwhelmed St. Georges, 3-0, in nonconference volleyball Sept. 6. Set scores were 25-11, 25-9 and 25-6. It was a successful start to the Spartans’ season and to the school’s sports doubleheader as the football team later defeated Conrad, 34-7.
But before action started on the gridiron, the volleyball team, ranked fifth by 302Sports.com, put on a show against the Hawks. Seemans, the all-stater and six-position mainstay, received plenty of support as the Spartans were never threatened.
Spartans fans got a glimpse of the team’s talent beginning with the first point, when Mya Lewis drilled a kill deep down the middle of the court. Seemans, Brooke Dow and Kyla Dow all had kills early to stake the Spartans to a 7-3 lead. But St. Georges stayed close for a bit, closing to within 8-7 on a kill from Aiyana Rosado.
Another kill from Lewis returned the serve to Saint Mark’s, and they would put the set away. As it happened, Lewis rotated into the serve, and the Spartans won the next eight points to extend their lead to 17-7. Included in that run were two aces and a pair of Seemans blasts that had the gym buzzing. The end of the first set featured the ferocious hitting of freshman Julia Yurkovich, who showed off a finesse game on one kill and power on another. She also added a line-drive ace.
Yurkovich opened the second set with another smash as the Spartans scored the first five points. Seemans and the Dow sisters continued with the big hits, and Seemans added a knuckleball ace that handcuffed the Hawk unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end. Haley Loper scored for St. Georges on a cross-court kill to make the score 21-9, but the Spartans scored the next four points to close out the second. Yurkovich had the first two of that mini-run on kill off the Hawks’ block and another ace, and Seemans added the next two. The first came on a block, and she ended the second with a monster straight-down kill.
The Spartans wasted no time in the third, opening up a quick 11-1 advantage. St. Georges simply had no answers to the Saint Mark’s service game. Spartans libero Alyssa Berggrun was under the weather, but she entered early in the third and engineered a seven-point run, including a trio of aces. Brooke Dow was sensational in the final set, scoring on a number of kills and adding a few aces of her own. The match ended with the Spartans scoring the final six points, three of which were Samantha Gerhart aces, including the final point.
Yurkovich began her high school career with 10 kills, 10 digs and three aces. Brooke Dow had seven kills. Katie Sonchen led the way with 19 assists, while Lewis had 17. The Spartans were credited with 18 aces. Saint Mark’s (1-0) is on the road Tuesday at Wilmington Friends for a scheduled 5:!5 p.m. start.
For St. Georges (0-1), Loper had three kills and three digs. Margaret Peters added four digs. The Hawks host Brandywine in their home opener on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
