THEY ROCK! Salem delivers in-sync effort against rival Canton
Salem celebrates a successful kill by sophomore Elizabeth Nordstrom.
An art teacher at Pioneer Middle School, Salem volleyball head coach Nancy Blaylock knows a masterpiece when she sees one.
While Tuesday night’s 3-0 victory (25-17, 25-21 and 25-20) over host Canton may not equal one of Rembrandt’s optimal efforts, it was pretty impressive all the same.
The Rocks turned in a spectacular defensive effort and were fueled up front by the one-two kills-collecting punch of sophomore Elizabeth Nordstrom (13 kills, three blocks) and senior Ashriya Sunkara (seven kills).
Both teams are now 1-3 in the KLAA West Division. Salem evened its overall record to 3-3 while Canton slipped to 2-3.
‘A lot of spirit’
“It wasn’t perfect, but it was nearly perfect,” Blaylock said in describing her team’s performance. “We played well as a team; we played with a lot of spirit.
“Last week we had some kids out because of illness, so we’ve been playing with a changing rotation. Everybody had to be ready to be the next man up and they’ve done a great job.”
Blaylock said the Rocks checked every box on the pre-match goal sheet.
“We wanted to see some nice passing that would set up swings and allow us to run some plays,” she said. “I thought we shared the ball extremely well.
“Elizabeth was amazing and she’s only a sophomore. Ashriya was outstanding as well, but I was proud with the way the entire team played. We didn’t allow Canton to go on any long runs. We would divide each set into segments and try to be the first team to 5, first to 10, first to 15.”
Delaney’s ‘D’ was fabulous
Junior libero Delaney Fillman extended several points by sliding across the Phase III gym floor to execute dazzling digs.
Salem setter Presley Escote was money and Ciara Farmer excelled in multiple facets during the match.
The Rocks who weren’t on the court displayed energizing enthusiasm, which fueled those who were on the court.
The Cobras were led by senior Ava Churnesky, junior Abigail Valenzuela and senior libero Alyssa Jasman, who made a couple of jaw-dropping digs.
Salem and Plymouth will play for the coveted Plymouth-Canton Educational Park championship on Oct. 8 at Salem.
The match doubled as a fundraiser/toy collection for patients at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
