Dulaney senior libero Eileen Lee led the Lions with 25 digs, but it was two saves she made late in the third set that changed the momentum and propelled the hosts Lions to a 19-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19 victory over Hereford.
The same two teams will meet again in the Baltimore County championship game on Oct. 28 at Dulaney and the sneak preview was full of spirited play and talent all over the court.
Lee’s signature moments came with the No. 7 Lions leading 22-21 in the third set and match even. Her diving dig on a ball that looked destined for the floor was redirected to Kira Logvin-Moore and she sent it over for the point. On the next play, Lee chased a second ball out of bounds and put it back in play for Ellie Leone’s kill and a 24-21 lead.
Serafina Reckamp (match-high six aces) served out the set and the Lions rolled to victory in the fourth set.
“That game was the one we needed,” Hereford coach Dave Schreiner said of the pivotal third set.
“I just wanted to keep the rally going and I really wanted to win overall,” Lee said. “What actually helped was my teammates, they were calling the balls in and out — I think my team is just very supportive and we just build off that energy.”
Lee’s energy on nearly impossible gets isn’t a fluke.
“We actually do a drill, it’s like where the coach just chucks the ball anywhere and we have to get it up,” Lee said.
“I think she’s the best libero in the county,” Dulaney coach Cary Lyon said.
The sharp passing from Lee and defensive specialist Norah Buckingham gave Reckamp a chance to run the offense and she responded with 44 assists.
“When we weren’t passing great, she is setting balls from all over the court,” Lyon said. “She is the best setter in the county. She can take a ball from one side to the other.”
Leone benefitted from her soft hands with a team-leading 20 kills. Cami Reed finished with 12 kills, while only playing the final three sets.
Hereford was led by Juliett Seitz (nine kills), Livy Barbarino (seven killls) and Cam Treon Sapp (six kills).
After a slow start, the Bulls rallied from a 9-3 deficit in the first set for a 25-19 victory. Seitz, Barbarino and Maddie Cavey had two kills each and setter Soph Kefi and Shea Kanning had blocks for points. Seitz and Kefi had one ace each in the first set and Brynn Hendrix closed out the set with a pair of aces.
Dulaney got four kills from Leone, but they struggled to hit through Hereford blocks.
“It [first set] was like a wakeup call because we definitely knew that our skills aren’t like the best first set, but we can always like bring it back,” Lee said.
They brough it back with a vengeance with a 25-17 victory in the second set.
“After the first set they started doing stuff and we didn’t make adjustments defensively,” Schreiner said. “I felt like when we should have been more aggressive we weren’t and when we should have been a little more conservative, we weren’t there either.”
Leone and Reed had four kills each and Reckamp and Mia Koska had three each and the Dulaney defense stepped it up a notch in the second set.
“That’s one of the thing I’ve said about Dulaney all year: They cover the floor real well; they are not going to give you anything,” Schreiner said. “If they make a mistake, that’s about the only thing you are going to get.”
In the third set, Leone had seven kills, Logvin-Moore added five and Reed had four.
In the final set, Reckamp reeled off eight straight points from the service line with three aces and Leone and Reed combined for nine kills.
Dulaney improved to 13-1 overall, while the Bulls dropped to 6-4, but they clinched a spot in the county championship game because their only two losses came against the Lions.
“It’s like I told the kids, it’s not that we played terrible, we didn’t play good enough to win the match,” Shreiner said. “We will be back here in two weeks for the county championship.”
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