Versatile Rocks knock off Plymouth in three hotly-contested sets
Salem’s Elizabeth Nordstrom slams the ball past a pair of Plymouth blockers during Monday night’s district-opening triumph.
Like a chameleon, Salem’s volleyball team can change its appearance in the blink of an eye.
The Rocks’ unique positional flexibility is a major asset, Salem Head Coach Nancy Blaylock acknowledged following her team’s 3-0 victory over Plymouth Monday night in the first round of MHSAA district action.
“We have the luxury of moving some girls around to different positions and they’ve all played outstanding in their new roles,” said Blaylock, whose team improved to 13-11 overall, according to MHSAA.com.
“We recently moved Elizabeth Nordstrom to middle and we changed our libero in order to put kids into positions they can excel at the most.”
Wildcats played hard
Despite the less-than-satisfying outcome, the Wildcats can gain some pleasure in knowing they pushed the Rocks to the limit in all three sets — and they have a young nucleus built around freshmen Jasmine Johnson and Jordyn Holly.
Plymouth even held semi-comfortable leads in two sets before the Rocks stormed back to win behind their formidable all-around stars Nordstrom, CJ Kiffner and Nya Kuhn.
Blaylock said the fact that her team beat Plymouth just a few weeks ago wasn’t an advantage for the Rocks.
“The first time we played them, Lindsey was playing them in six-player shifts, kind of like in hockey,” she said. “Tonight, their best players were out there all the time, so it was a totally different look.
“As far as having to come back in two of the sets, the girls have been showing a lot of mental toughness the past few weeks. They’re a resilient group.”
New positions, same solid performances
One-time libero Nya Kuhn has thrived in her move to outside hitter. And Kiffner, her libero replacement, was a vital component in the Rocks’ steady play.
“Elizabeth was outstanding tonight as well as Kiffner,” Blaylock said. “The key to our success this season is when everybody plays well, which was the case tonight.”
Cashing in on several perfectly-placed sets from freshman Stella Whirley, Nordstrom delivered some demoralizing kills for Salem — often when Plymouth was starting to get its mojo moving in first gear.
After Plymouth surged to a 7-4 lead in set two, Kuhn stepped up with two late kills and an ace to help her team repel the Wildcats’ strong play.
Late Rock run serves as exclamation point
Plymouth led 11-10 in the third set, but fell victim to a 13-2 Salem run.
The Wildcats displayed plenty of moxie, winning four consecutive Salem match points before being ultimately subdued.
The Rocks advanced to play No. 2 seed South Lyon in Wednesday’s 5 p.m. semifinal match.
The winner of that encounter and Wednesday’s 7 p.m. semifinal featuring host Northville and South Lyon East will move on to Thursday’s 6 p.m. championship match at Northville.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
