High school volleyball: Firelands rallies from two games down to beat Columbia in early Lorain County League showdown

COLUMBIA STATION — When it comes to competitive volleyball matches, it would be tough to top the one Firelands and Columbia staged Thursday night in Lorain County League play. The Falcons roared back after dropping the first two games to win in five, 21-25, 18-25, 25-18, 25-13, 15-13 at Columbia High School. "It takes a lot of mental toughness to get back in a game like that," said Firelands junior Michah Lee, who had two key block-kills in the final set. "You've got to keep working at it." The final game was a nail-biter. Neither team could take control although the Falcons (7-1, 4-0 LCL) had leads of 12-9 off an ace from junior Lexi Schrader, and 14-10 off kills from Lee and sophomore Josie Kirby, who led Firelands with 18 kills. "Everyone was just helping to lift everyone up," Kirby said. "There were no individuals out there. We were really working as a team. Even when we were down, honestly, everyone was still coming together. We were congratulating each other through the highs and the lows. Coaches were helping. Everyone played together." Columbia (3-1, 3-1) battled back to slice the deficit to 14-13 off a kill from senior Nyeisha Reid, a double block by senior Bree Heidecker and junior Lexie Miller and an ace by Reid but Reid's next serve was long, giving the marathon match to the Falcons. "It was a great night of volleyball," Columbia coach Kelsey Geanuracos said. "I wish we'd have gotten the win on our side but that's what the game's about. It's about those moments and you got to see a lot of fun stuff." The Raiders controlled the match through the first two games. They finished the first by scoring the final seven points to erase a 21-18 deficit. Heidecker had two block-kills and another kill during the run. Addison Stair was at the service line for the final points, serving two aces. In the second game, Columbia had complete control after scoring another 7-0 run off Stair's service that included another pair of aces. Heidecker and Reid combined for three kills during the run with Stair getting a kill off a backward tip off a fake set. The run started with a service error by the Falcons. Firelands came alive in the third and fourth games, building a 12-7 advantage in the third behind Kirby's outstanding play. The lead grew to 23-14 off an ace from sophomore Stella Frederick and Firelands withstood one last push by the Raiders to win. Stair and Miller combined on a block-kill and Gianna Berardi put down another one to close the deficit to 23-17 but a net serve and Sydney Robinson's block-kill provided the Falcons with the win. "We've been talking a lot about mental toughness," Firelands coach Mason Cooley said. "Working together and staying positive, going through adversity and stuff. We did a really nice job of not giving up on each other and fighting back the whole time." Firelands played without senior Mia Streby, who is out with a fractured vertebra. "She's out for a little bit," Cooley said. "We don't know how long until (today). Hopefully, we'll find out. Michah (Lee) has done a great job stepping into her spot in the middle, getting a lot of blocks and quality touches." Both teams played extremely well on defense. Firelands' Nadia Hritz, Andie Eberhardt, Lexie Schrader and Aubrynn Reicle were digging just about everything. For Columbia, Nadia Hritz and Stair were doing the dirty work on defense. Columbia is the defending LCL champion but Firelands won it the year before and would like nothing better than to wrest the title away from the Raiders this year. Winning on Columbia's home floor certainly was huge. "It's very important," Lee said. "We just had to really keep going and never give up. We had to keep pushing with good energy." "This (rivalry) will be one of our biggest challenges as long as Kelsey's one of their coaches," Cooley said. "She's a great coach. She always has her team prepared and we know we're going to have a battle coming in. It's fun. It makes it a fun evening." "It's always been really competitive," Geanuracos said. "I really respect Mason. We get along well. I've known him for years now. It's a competitive rivalry. It's two competitive programs that like to see each other." Contact Tim Gebhardt at (440) 329-7235 or timothygeb@msn.com.