LINWOOD – The Mainland Mustangs volleyball team earned their way to a South Jersey final Thursday afternoon by knocking off Shawnee 2-0 at home in the semifinal round.
“We were a little sloppy in that first set,” had coach Erica Reis said. “At the end of the first set I told them we had to tighten up. They knew that and we talked about the adjustments they needed to make and we made them. I think our momentum and energy kind of took over, we kept pushing and our focus was there. We’re ready to go on to the finals and they deserve it. They worked hard.”
Both sets were tight in the early going before the Mustangs put together runs to close the deal.
Mainland held a modest lead in the first set when Shawnee’s Kali Schad caught fire serving and put up 5 straight points to cut the gap.
The Mustangs responded with a rally of their own to close it out 25-23.
“Them being competitive just gets us more fired up to come back like they are and have good rallies,” player Denver Obermeyer said.
The Renegades carved out a slim lead early in the second set.
“Our big thing this year has been staying in the moment,” Reis said, “not five seconds before, not five seconds after. Just staying in the moment and taking control of what’s happening that moment, and I think we did a great job of that today.”
“During those times we just have to take a step back and realize that it’s going to be a good game and we’re going to go on runs,” Obermeyer said. “They’re also going to go on runs and we just have to overcome them, get it back, and fight harder and harder so you can get back on your run.”
Obermeyer was a major net-front presence for the Mustangs, especially in the second set.
“Denver did an incredible job going in there,” Reis said. “She was reading it right, she was making the blocks, she took that away from them. Then our back row had to make some different adjustments to come up big in the back and I think they did that.”
“We’ve been working at it all season,” Obermeyer said, “trying to get the blocks up. It really helps out even if I don’t get the block down right away. Even if it just helps out our back row, making it easier for them to get set up for us to get the point.”
Mainland ripped off 10 unanswered points in the second set to seal the match.
“Sydney Booth came in and went on a streak with her serves which was awesome,” Reis said. “Shawnee is a good team and they gave us a challenge. It was not an easy win, so I think we’re ready to go.”
“We had to come out a lot harder than we did in the first set,” Obermeyer said. “We came in today knowing we had the skills and the ability to come out stronger than the other team. What really put us on top was the effort and attitude that we needed, especially in the second set when we went on that run. Being able to have the confidence to fight in the last set was what put us on top.”
Shawnee made the Mustangs work hard with difficult digs throughout to keep plays alive.
“We just have to keep working on it,” Reis said. “We need to improve following our ball a little more because every time we were caught off guard. We just weren’t following it and tracking it. So we need to tighten up on that a little in the next couple days before Tuesday.”
“We knew they were a good team,” Obermeyer said. “We’ve watched them before, we knew they had the skill. We knew it was going to be close at the start and it wasn’t going to be an easy match. But we had the competitiveness and that’s really what brought us the win.”
Mainland’s communication was key and is always a focal point for the coach.
“I did like our communication,” Reis said. “It can always be a little better, but our communication was there today and it showed in that second set. The first set we were lacking some, and in the second set that was our goal. We did that and it definitely got the job done.”
As good as the Mustangs looked they’re always looking to improve, especially at this point in the season.
“Our blocking needs to improve a little,” Reis said. “Our back row needs to stay on their toes, and then just talking and staying together as a team. We’re going to work together and see what we need to improve on, and keep coming hard. It’s all about the heart here.”
“It’s been phenomenal,” Obermeyer said. “Coming from a strong team last year and just carrying over. A lot of people probably didn’t think we’d make it this far with all the seniors we lost, but I think we’re surprising some people and we can go win South Jersey.”
The Mustangs took on Pinelands Regional in the South Jersey final Tuesday, Nov. 7 after the Sentinel went to press.
By KYLE McCRANE/Sentinel Sports
