High school volleyball: Sweet 16 for Magnificat comes at Brunswick's expense

ROCKY RIVER — Magnificat's 16th straight victory was sweet for the Blue Streaks but left a sour taste in the mouths of the Brunswick volleyball team. Senior Kaci Barrett hammered a match-high 18 kills and sophomore Sophia Anghilante had 16 kills and nine blocks, leading No. 3 seed Magnificat to a 25-16, 25-20, 25-17 sweep of the No. 7 seed Blue Devils in the Division I, Northeast District 6 semifinals Tuesday. Junior middle hitter Madison Lindsey fired a team-high 10 kills and junior outside hitter Morgan Beckler had seven kills — with zero hitting errors between them — for Greater Cleveland Conference champion Brunswick (17-7). "We wanted this match really bad and gave it everything we could," Beckler said while breaking into tears. "All of us tried our best. We just couldn't get it done." "You always want to give it your all and try your best, but sometimes it isn't enough," an emotional Lindsey added. "It's tough, really tough, to end the season this way." Middle hitter Emily Richardson collected six kills and a career postseason-high seven blocks and fellow senior Mia Beckler dished out 30 assists for the Blue Devils. Freshman outside hitter Sara Krizsa had four of her seven kills in the final set. The evening marked the district tournament debut for every Brunswick player except Morgan Beckler and Richardson. And it occurred in one of the most intimidating environments in Northeast Ohio. "You could feel the girls' nervousness once we got in the court, which surprised me," said Blue Devils coach Mande Luttner, who used three ninth-graders in her rotation all fall. "I kind of forgot how young this team is in reality because they don't act like it. "A lot of that had to do with how well everyone got along despite their age differences. We didn't have one episode of drama all year — not one — and that opened up so many great possibilities for us." The Blue Streaks (18-4) dominated the match, scoring the first two points in each set and never allowing their guests to pull even. Sophomore setter Lauren Yacobucci was exceptional with 34 assists and three kills, using her 5-foot-10 frame to spray the ball from pin to pin. Barrett was unstoppable on the left side and Anghilante played near-perfect volleyball in the middle, matching Brunswick's team total with their 34 combined kills. Morgan Beckler noted the Blue Devils "couldn't close out the block" against their speedy attacks. "Their setter moved everyone around, and they hit different spots," Lindsey said. "It showed us that it's going to take a lot of hard work for us to get to that level next season." Remarkably, the Blue Devils only were in position to tie the score twice, both in the second set. They pulled to 19-18 on a push-kill by Richardson, only to have Barrett answer with a kill, and got within 21-20 on an Emerson Futchko ace that Anghilante followed with a block/kill. Brunswick also was its worst enemy, blowing nine serves, including five when only trailing by two points. The then-shorthanded Blue Devils lost a five-setter at Magnificat on Sept. 3. The Blue Streaks, who only committed 16 unforced errors, will host the district final Saturday against fourth-seeded Olmsted Falls. "Brunswick is a great team, and it was a good battle," Magnificat coach Megan Green said. Richardson's seven blocks were the most in the postseason for the Blue Devils since current assistant coach Anna Krizsa had eight against North Royalton in 2018. Mia Beckler posted their first back-to-back, 30-assist playoff outings since Megan Anderson seven years ago. The loss ended the two-year run of one of the most effective, athletic and entertaining front rows in the area of Lindsey and the Beckler siblings, who are exceptionally close off the court. "I'm really going to miss her," Morgan Beckler said of her older sister. "Playing with her these past two years has meant everything." Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter.