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Quakers raise the trophy at home

SALEM — When the Salem Quakers were reviewing their goals at the beginning of the volleyball season, winning a district title on their home floor was right at the top of the list.

Thursday, the third-seeded Quakers made that dream a reality by dethroning top-seeded and defending district champion Crestview 23-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-23 in a Division III district title match at Cabas Gymnasium.

“This was by far our biggest goal coming into this season, we all thought this was something we were capable of,” Salem sophomore Echo Mayer-Kutz said. “Now that we’ve accomplished it, the feeling is just amazing. We played so well together tonight. We needed everyone to get this victory.”

The Quakers (18-7) claimed their first district title since 2009 and advance to play either Canton Central Catholic or Waynedale in a Division III regional semifinal at 6 p.m. Thursday at Barberton High School.

“This is one of the best feelings ever,” Salem junior Caitlyn Marx said. “This is the type of feeling you hope to experience after putting in all of the hard work that we did.”

This was Salem’s first year in Division III after dropping down from Division II. As a result of Salem High School being the Division III district volleyball host, the Quakers have yet to leave home during postseason play.

The Quakers said that playing in familiar surroundings for such an adrenaline-fueled match provided a boost.

“It definitely adds to the adrenaline,” Marx said. “It’s nice knowing that your entire hometown is here and ready to back you up.”

“It’s always nice to be at home no matter what the situation is,” Salem coach Sarah Hamilton said. “It was a privilege to have our entire community come out and support us tonight.”

The Rebels had designs on a second straight district title, but must settle for a final record of 20-6.

Crestview coach Alisha Auer acknowledged it was tough playing for a district title in what was essentially a road match, but wasn’t using that as an excuse afterward.

“I think a district final should be at a neutral site,” Auer said. “But give credit to Salem. They’re a solid team that compares favorably to the other teams we played this season. They served us tough. Our serve-receive was a little off and they just got us a little out of sync.”

The action was tight most of the evening Thursday, with neither team jumping out to any sizable leads.

The Quakers looked to be in good shape with a 21-15 lead in the first game before the Rebels came storming back with seven straight points (capped off by an Emily Emch ace) to surge in front. After the two teams traded the next three points, Crestview came through with the final two points to seize the early lead.

The Quakers, however, weren’t fazed a bit.

“I didn’t worry for a second,” Hamilton said. “I know what these girls are capable of. They’ve played from behind a lot this season. They aren’t afraid of crucial situations.”

The Quakers came right back and led 22-18 late in the second game. They showed their mettle by withstanding another late Crestview surge to square the match.

The third game was back-and-forth until Salem ripped off an 8-2 run to build a 21-13 lead and put Crestview on the ropes.

Hamilton felt one of the most critical parts of the Quakers’ victory was their ability to keep their foot on the gas once they seized momentum.

“During the season, we would allow the momentum to shift here and there, but tonight, we didn’t let them get on any big runs,” Hamilton said. “We were adamant about keeping the ball on our side. We stayed scrappy and fought for every point.”

The fourth game was the best one of the night, as the Rebels refused to go down easy. After 13 ties and 11 lead changes, the Quakers finally sealed the deal with the final three points of the night.

Mayer-Kutz and Marx helped power the Salem offense with 15 and nine kills respectively, while Marx also had four blocks.

Elly Exline played a key role with five aces. Josie Miller dished out 17 assists.

“I think we just played a really solid all-around game tonight,” Marx said. “Our blocking, hitting and covering were all really good.”

Besides their execution, the Quakers also credited a culture of unselfishness that was developed early in the season.

“Nobody is on this team is out for themselves, everybody wants everyone else to succeed,” Mayer-Kutz said. “Selflessness is what won us this district title.”

“This is a special group, it’s unlike any other group of girls I’ve coached,” Hamilton said. “It’s about more than volleyball to them. They’ve become a family.”

Crestview’s all-time kills leader MacKenzie Daub finished with 13 kills and four blocks in the final match of her career. Junior Emily Emch had 13 kills, 13 points, two blocks and two aces.

Also for the Rebels, Tess Neville had 17 kills. Brenna Auer had 12 kills and 10 digs. Natasha Salmen had 23 digs and 13 points. Anna Gorby had 19 assists and seven digs.

“I told our team they should be proud,” Auer said. “They were a fun group of kids to be around and they always gave it their best effort. The matches we lost were all close, tonight was no different.”

Match notes

¯ Hamilton said playing in the tough Northeastern Buckeye Conference (which is mostly Division II schools) helped the Quakers for the tournament.

“We were lucky to face a lot of tough teams during the regular season and that helped us prepare for Crestview,” Hamilton said. “We came into this tournament pretty confident.”

¯ Thursday was the third straight district final for Crestview. The Rebels beat United last season and lost to South Range in 2015.

¯ Daub and Emma Smith are the only two seniors Crestview loses. The Rebels had five juniors and five sophomores take the floor Thursday.

“We’re losing two great players and great leaders, but I’m very excited for next year,” Auer said. “We have quite a crew returning.”

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