DARLINGTON — The Redbirds knew they’d have their work cut out for them if they were going to pull out a home win against Cuba City, ranked No. 8 in Division 3 volleyball.
Unfortunately, the Cubans (7-2, 2-0 SWAL) lived up to their ranking, besting Darlington (4-3, 1-1 SWAL), 3-0.
Ella McKinley put Cuba City on the board early by way of a serve that Jaidyn Evenstad couldn’t return.
The Cubans extended their early lead with aggressive play and misdirection, making it hard for the Redbirds to predict where the ball was going.
When Cuba City pushed the score to 5-0, Darlington head coach Danielle Duerst called a timeout, causing an eruption of cheers from the Cuban bench.
“The girls came out ready to play starting with the first serve,” Cuba City head coach Keri Lawson said.
The break was needed for the Redbirds, who surged to life, going on a 6-3 run, bringing them within two points.
The Cubans regrouped, going on a 12-3 rally that put them back in control of the set, 20-9. Cuba City closed out the set, 25-15.
Ella Vosberg and Lainey Runde were largely responsible, attacking the net and leading the Cubans in kills. Runde was also strong in the serving department, alongside McKinley.
Darlington didn’t afford Cuba City much room to open the second set, with strong defensive work by Maddie Gratz, Lilly Ritchie, and Ava Hendrickson keeping the Redbirds in stride with the Cubans.
The Redbirds’ play never let Cuba City get a lead higher than two points. With the two teams tied at nine apiece, Hendrickson smacked the ball down for a kill, putting Darlington ahead 10-9.
A 9-4 run gave the Cubans the biggest lead either team had to that point in the set, 18-14, and Cuba City distanced itself in its second-straight, 25-15 set win.
The third set featured a Cuban team that didn’t want to waste any time, as they pushed aggressively to a 6-2 lead with kills from Rachel Kraus and Lainey Runde, prompting a timeout from the Redbirds.
The break did nothing to slow down Cuba City. Summer Rogers knocked down a kill, and Vosberg served up an ace in a 7-4 push from the Cubans to extend their lead to 13-6.
Zoie Zuberbuhler and Aubrey McCarthy breathed some life into the embattled Darlington squad with two kills and a block to tie the game. A defensive play by the Runde sisters ensured the Cubans kept inching away from the Redbirds in the later set points, though.
Down 18-11, Darlington pushed with a serve by Gratz, finding an open hole in the center of Cuba City’s court. On the very next point, she scored for the Redbirds again with a spike on Lainey Runde deflected out of bounds on the Cuban side.
Lainey Runde redeemed herself on the next point, however, as she spiked the ball to the back-middle of the court, that a diving McCarthy and Hendrickson couldn’t intercept, putting Cuba City up 19-13.
Another five-point run put the Cubans at the match point, but Darlington didn’t go quietly. Gratz smashed the ball without any hope of a return from Alexis Runde.
Down 24-14, Ritchie put a little too much into her serve as it sailed past Cuba City’s back court and out of bounds.
This gave Darlington the loss in the set, 25-14, and the game, 3-0.
“Our net play was balanced and they stayed aggressive all three sets,” Lawson said. “As a team, we executed our system of play and didn’t give away unnecessary points.”
Lawson also didn’t want to count the Redbirds out looking ahead.
“Darlington has a solid team that will rebound and be a threat in a few weeks,” she said.
