Girls volleyball: Buckeye beats Valley Forge to snap skid

YORK TWP. — Buckeye volleyball coach Erica Repas smiled after one point in the third set of a 25-10, 25-10, 25-16 Cleveland West Conference win over Valley Forge on Thursday night. The smile came after Emma Bostic rose up and hammered a set from Nico Anzevino for a kill and a 19-14 lead in the final set. "I've always struggled waiting on that ball, making sure I hit the ball down, and it will slightly go out every single time," Bostic said. "So I finally listened to (Repas) and finish my swings and hit that ball down. She is definitely our biggest supporter. When we have fun, she has fun." Fun was the name of the game for the Bucks (2-6, 1-5) after they had dropped their last four matches, notably a 3-2 decision to Rocky River on Aug. 28 in what the players all agree was the best they had played all season. "Off the court, I think we're a great team," Anzevino said. "On the court, I think we can do a lot better when we have some fun with it. I think that just brings us all together and we bond a lot better." It isn't easy having fun when you lose, so the Buckeye players shifted their mindset. "We've been struggling with having fun because we've just been focusing so much on trying not to lose," Bostic said. "(Tonight) was definitely a really good game for us to have fun and make a turning point. Hopefully we win the rest of our season." Buckeye cruised through the first two sets, but the Patriots put up a fight in the third, something the Bucks know they can learn from. "I think that third set, we got a little shaky just because I think we were letting loose a little," said Anzevino, who led Buckeye with 15 assists. "We will definitely know what's going on in time and we will be better." Bostic led Buckeye with 12 kills, but it was a team effort with five other players having multiple kills as well — Erin Salazar (6), Cammy Shamp (6), Abi Kirlough (4), Blakely Herman (4) and Aurora Allen (2). "We definitely needed that, because we haven't had that in a really long time," Bostic said. "It was really good for us." Another thing the Bucks hadn't had in a while was consistent energy. "I think our energy was a lot higher," Repas said. "We kept saying, 'Get your energy up.' I think they did in that third set. They ended up elevating their energy." The win was important for the Bucks, who will face Fairview on Saturday before consecutive conference matches against Normandy (Tuesday), North Olmsted (Sept. 18), Rocky River (Sept. 23) and Lakewood (Sept. 25). "Today was actually our first conference win of the season," Repas said. "We're hoping it's going to be a launching point for us for many more wins to come." Contact Ryan Isley at sports@medina-gazette.com.