Bears Even Things Up

The Elizabethtown girls volleyball team handed Ephrata its first loss of the season Thursday night in Elizabethtown, sweeping the visiting Mountaineers 3-0.

Elizabethtown’s win avenges a five-set loss to the Mountaineers earlier in the season and forges a tie atop the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Two standings with three league matches to play.

Game scores were 2519, 25-18 and 25-17, with E-town able to front-run for most of the match.

“I think they fed off the crowd’s energy and they played side-out volleyball,” Elizabethtown head coach Katrina Shelly said of her players. “I’ve been trying to get them to believe in themselves for so long, so it’s nice to finally see that.”

E-town (10-1 L-L, 12-1 overall) was celebrating Dig Pink Night with a large and raucous crowd on hand. The Bears’ student section even did the wave midway through the first set as the home team started to pull away.

Consecutive kills by Taylor Haupt gave Ephrata an early 7-5 lead. But the Bears responded with a 14-4 run, capped with a pair of tip-kills from Chloe Merkt, to win game one.

Merkt finished with nine kills overall, several of them coming from the back row in E-town’s multifaceted attack.

“She’s a quieter player, but she swings loud,” Shelly said of Merkt. “She’s not afraid to swing in big situations, which is why I think you do see her swinging in the back row.”

A 7-0 service run from Jacqueline Raybold helped Etown gain separation in a second game that was chocked full of lengthy rallies.

Time and again, however, it was Elizabethtown that came away with the point, thanks in part to libero Paige Horst (31 digs) and junior setter Hailey Oller (35 assists).

“She has a natural gift,” Shelly said of Oller. “We’re firing from all aspects on all sides. You can go anywhere in a tough situation and produce.”

A similar run by Merkt gave E-town an early advantage in game three, with middle hitter Liz Kerin (13 kills) closing out the victory. “We had to rely on our defense a ton,” said Ephrata coach Mike Elliott. “The problem was, when we got a good pickup, it led to a free ball and they (the Bears) were just hitting it back harder.”

Ephrata (10-1, 13-1) was playing without starting setter Sofia Rios. Middle hitter Courtney Smith and senior Madelyn Muhr filled in well, but the Mounts simply couldn’t match the efficiency of the Bears’ attack.

Erin Eby paced Ephrata’s defense with 15 digs. Muhr led the offense with 13 assists, while Haupt contributed 13 kills. Section play continues for both teams Tuesday, with Ephrata hosting Manheim Central and Elizabethtown traveling to Solanco.