CUBA CITY — In a game that was previously predicted to be a tough rematch, the Redbirds (15-8, 5-3 SWAL) fell 3-2, to Cuba City (16-2, 7-0 SWAL) on Tuesday.
Following their previous match on Sept. 5 that the Cubans won 3-0, Cuba City head coach Keri Lawson stated that “Darlington has a solid team that will rebound and be a threat in a few weeks.”
Set one of Tuesday’s showdown gave the impression of an opposite outcome, as the Cubans quickly outpaced the Redbirds to a 12-4 advantage.
Darlington slightly outscored Cuba City from that point on, but the Cubans held on to win the opening set, 25-15.
The Redbirds opened set two strong. Jaidyn Evenstad picked up the serve reception, getting good height on the ball. Allie Andrews set the ball to Maddie Gratz, and she spiked an unreturnable ball to Olivia Olson.
Gratz scored Darlington’s second point on a block over Ella Vosberg, and Aubrey McCarthy scored the third and fourth points with a pair of aces.
Scoring came regularly for the Redbirds over the following points, as they charged to a 9-4 lead.
Lawson called a timeout to regroup a struggling Cuba City squad, and her words motivated them.
The Cubans surged, going on a 9-2 run to take the lead, 13-11.
Cuba City more than doubled Darlington’s point output over the remaining rallies, as the Cubans came away with the set win, 25-16.
Set three largely resembled the open to the second set — the Redbirds opened with a big , 7-0, lead. However, when the squads came out of a Cuba City timeout, Darlington didn’t relent.
The Redbirds continued the aggressive play that opened the set and pushed to a 13-2 lead.
The two points the Cubans did score came on Redbird errors. Lilly Ritchie launched a spike past Cuba City’s back-court line and Darlington failed to get the ball over in three hits.
Then the Cubans, who only needed one more set win to take home the overall victory, staged a comeback, scoring eight unanswered points.
The Redbirds and Cubans traded blows, until a 22-22 stalemate prompted a timeout from Darlington’s head coach, Danielle Duerst.
Out of the pause, Zoie Zuberbuhler popped her serve reception up court to Andrews, who set the ball for Evenstad.
Instead of spiking the ball, Evenstad swatted straight down and to the right, deflecting off a pair of Cubans to give the Redbirds a 23-22 lead.
A Cuba City spike on the next rally deflected off of Evenstad on its way out of bounds to tie the game back up.
A netted serve from the Cubans, and an attack error by McCarthy kept the squads deadlocked, this time at 24 points each.
Ava Hendrickson got her opportunity for a kill on the next rally, and she landed it expertly inside the right sideline to put Darlington up by one point.
Zuberbuhler put the set on ice, serving an ace to Cuba City. The victory brought the set record to 2-1, favoring the Cubans.
The fourth set was another strong start from Darlington, which opened with a 4-0 run.
The Redbirds played with more energy and Cuba City made too many mental errors early in the set.
The Cubans did eventually score, but not before Darlington put the set out of reach with a 20-6 lead.
The Redbirds built and maintained their lead through serving, coupled with solid work at the net.
Gratz and Ritchie tallied multiple aces apiece in the run, and almost every other Darlington player on the court was responsible for kills.
Cuba City went on a small run, scoring five points, but a service error put the ball back on the Redbird court with a chance to seal the set.
A block from McCarthy and a lift from the Cubans left Darlington just two points from sending the game to a fifth set.
Hendrickson and Andrews thwarted a Cuba City spike, giving the Redbirds a 24-12 lead.
After hitting the ball out of bounds on the following rally, a service error from Ella McKinley tied the match at 2-2.
The Cubans opened the final set with a two-point burst, but an antenna hit from Vosberg got Darlington on the board.
Vosberg redeemed herself on the ensuing rally, placing the ball in a hole in the center of the Redbird court.
A lifting penalty on McCarthy put Darlington into a 4-1 deficit.
A Gratz spike that sailed out of bounds prompted a timeout by Duerst.
The Redbirds came out of the break fired up, and Evenstad kicked off scoring with a cross-court spike that Vosberg couldn’t return.
Gratz had her turn at the serve and sent the ball sailing past the Cuba City back court.
A block by the Cubans pushed the deficit to 7-2.
Cuba City pushed its advantage by three more points, prompting a timeout by Duerst.
Scores from McCarthy, Ritchie, and Gratz got the Redbirds to a seven-point deficit.
Gratz and Andrews met a Cuban spike at the net, sinking into a 13-7 hole.
Lainey Runde shot a bullet to Darlington’s back court that was just out of Ritchie’s reach to hit match point for Cuba City.
The final point featured both squads having a pair of possessions with the ball.
On Darlington’s second rally, a diving Evenstad knocked the ball into the net. It hit the ground before Gratz could reach it, giving the Cubans the win in the set, 15-7, and the game, 3-2.
