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Coldwater's Madison Wendel tips a shot past Celina blocker Ava Knapke at the Palace on Tuesday.
COLDWATER - In 2022, Celina handed eventual Division III state runner-up Coldwater one of its five losses of the year in a five-set battle.
On Tuesday, the second-ranked Cavaliers made sure it didn't happen again.
Coldwater pulled away early in the first two sets and staved off Celina in the middle of the third for a 25-11, 25-12, 25-16 win in a volleyball match at the Palace.
"Thought we prepared well for them," Celina coach Phil Bange said. "They just don't have a lot of weak spots, and they found all ours."
Celina only served the ball 40 times over the 115 points, without a run longer than three points. Coldwater got a kill on its first shot off the serve receive 11 times.
"It's great for us, because we really talked about runs of points being served on us," Coldwater coach Nikki Etzler said. "But I thought it was a great effort on their part. ... The first ball sideouts, our passing was really good tonight."
Madison Wendel had four kills in the first six points to put the Cavaliers ahead early, and Spencer Etzler and Wendel combined to serve up an 11-1 run early on.
Wendel got another shot down the left line through the Celina block that extended the lead to 10 at 17-7, and Morgan Blasingame set up set point with a shot to the back left that Makayla Stoner couldn't return. On the next point, Etzler dove to save a tip by Mylee Sapp, and Sapp's next shot went into the net.
"I think they hustled really well tonight, Celina did," coach Etzler said. "They brought some balls back that maybe other teams wouldn't. I like how our team executed on those points."
Etzler dropped an ace in front of Kira Bange to put Coldwater ahead in the second, and Wendel added a four-point run, including an ace, to stretch the lead to five. Blasingame served back-to-back aces between the back right and middle that made it 17-7.
Wendel got three kills in the next five points, and after Sapp got an ace to extend the set, Blasingame fired a shot off the block for set point, then hit another in the middle that libero Allison Schwieterman, diving to her right, could only knock down.
Celina kept pace deeper into the third set, despite back-to-back aces by Blasingame again. Emma Harter had an ace, Ava Knapke got a block and a kill, and Kira Bange blocked a shot by Etzler to get within 15-11.
Celina's Makayla Stoner bumps the ball in front of libero Allison Schwieterman. Schwieterman recorded her 1,000th career dig in the third set.
Etzler got a kill off the block to extend the lead to five, and on the next point, a Coldwater violation, Schwieterman picked up the 1,000th dig of her career.
"Coldwater, to their credit, they didn't send it her way much tonight, because they know what she's capable of," coach Bange said. "But still a tremendous milestone for her. … she's a leader for our team, she's a captain, she does a great job on the court and in the huddle with the girls. Can't say enough good things, but she's frustrated tonight."
Sapp had three kills in six points to keep the Bulldogs within five up to 21-16, but the Cavaliers shook them off late. Etzler got a kill, Blasingame fired another ace to the same spot she'd been hitting all night, and a hitting error gave Coldwater match point.
Coldwater's Morgan Blasingame goes up to take a shot against Celina.
Blasingame nearly finished it off with another ace, but after Aliyah Avers made a dive on the serve receive to keep it alive, Wendel spiked it down the middle for the final point.
"The third set was our best round, we at least held our own a little bit there," coach Bange said. "But in the end, every server that went back for them served us tough. We couldn't really get in system, they were in system just about the whole match. Their passers did a great job on their side. …
"Probably outmatched at just about every position tonight, including coaching," he added. "I told the girls in the huddle, that's possibly the best team we'll play all year."
Schwieterman finished with 21 digs and Haley Kizer added 15 assists. Sapp led Celina with nine kills and Ava Knapke added eight kills and three blocks.
Blasingame had a 14 kills, five aces and two blocks. Wendel added 17 kills and three aces, Etzler had 10 kills and 11 digs and Mia Knapke recorded 37 assists.
Coldwater is on the road for its next three matches, starting with Versailles in a Midwest Athletic Conference game on Thursday, while Celina hosts Bath in a Western Buckeye League match.
