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Coldwater's Paige Ontrop (18) goes for the spike while New Bremen's Maria Kramer (3) and Delaney Heitkamp (4) try for a block during Thursday's MAC match in Coldwater.
COLDWATER - After battling through a loaded schedule that saw the team travel for their previous three matches, it would be understandable that Coldwater might have felt fatigued against New Bremen.
But you can't lead the Midwest Athletic Conference without winning the tough ones. While the visiting Cardinals took the first set, Coldwater rallied to take a 21-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-15 win at The Palace in a top of the MAC contest.
"I felt like we grew throughout the match," said Coldwater coach Nikki Etzler. "Some of the things we worked on, they struggled with early and then they executed. So we were super excited to see that growth in a match."
Coldwater (15-1, 6-0) ran out to a 9-4 lead in the opener, but the Cardinals found their footing to trim the deficit to 16-14 after a kill from Ashtyn Eilerman. An ace from Maeve Eilerman started a four-point run by New Bremen that saw them take a 17-16 lead.
The Cardinals (13-4, 4-2) got the serve ahead 18-17, Maria Kramer earned a kill and a termination block to extend the visitor's lead to 22-17, and they took the set soon after on an errant Coldwater serve.
New Bremen's Maeve Eilerman (10) hits the ball past Coldwater's Ella Werling (21).
The second set saw the teams trade early leads, as the Cavs led 4-1 before the Cardinals took a 10-9 lead on another bad serve from Coldwater. A kill from Mara Riethman tied the set at 10-all, and gave Coldwater all the momentum needed to pull away.
Two aces from Alivia Klingshirn and a kill from Campbell Etzler highlighted a five-point run to make it 15-10 Cavaliers. It forced a timeout from the Cardinals' bench as the gym got loud again.
The teams traded their way to an 18-13 Coldwater lead, and an ace from junior Harlow Heyne sparked another run by the Cavs. Etzler added another kill and picked up an ace later in the set to make it 23-17, and a kill from Paige Ontrop gave the hosts the set to tie the match at 1-1.
"We've been playing three matches a week and it's been tough so I thought fatigue set in a little bit," said coach Etzler of the first two sets. "Then we got grittier. They took it to the next level, not only physically but mentally too, which is important to be doing right now."
Coldwater carried that momentum into the third when they took a 6-4 lead on a kill from Riethman. A miscue from the team allowed the Cardinals to get the serve, but it would not last long.
In fact, no momentum was safe in the set as the teams traded the next 13 points in a row, with the score sitting tied at 13-all after the frenzy. Ashtyn Eilerman's aggressive serve put the Cardinals on top 15-12, and forced a timeout from coach Etzler. While the break worked in the short-term, New Bremen still had an 18-14 lead before the Cavs could side-out.
Coldwater's Harlow Heyne (8) bumps the ball during Thursday's MAC match against New Bremen.
Once they got the serve however, the set shifted. An ace from Brylee Knapke and a kill from Heyne sparked a quick run to make it 19-18 Coldwater. New Bremen fought back however and the teams sat tied at 21-all.
An errant serve and a kill from Klingshirn put the Cavaliers up 23-21, but a poor shot combined with a kill from Kramer brought the Cardinals even at 23-all. An ace from Muether set up set point for the Cardinals, but a kill from Knapke saved the set and gave Coldwater the serve.
"We were up three in the second set and up four in the third but we just couldn't finish," said New Bremen coach Diana Kramer. "That's credit to Coldwater, they picked up their serving game, they passed to every target, they were the aggressors and they played to win at the end."
A kill from Ontrop and a termination block from Ella Werling set the home crowd on fire, and gave Coldwater a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set showed just how much both teams put into the previous set. Coldwater was on fire and took an 11-7 lead, and miscues from the Cardinals made it a touchdown lead at 14-7.
While New Bremen battled to trim the deficit to 16-11 later, the Cavs were rolling too much for any timeout to stop. A kill from Ontrop and and two aces from Etzler made it a 23-14 Coldwater lead, and Riethman finished off the set and match soon after as Coldwater was able to celebrate.
Heyne led the Cavs with 13 kills and added 12 digs, while Rietman had four blocks. Coldwater will try for their 15th win in a row when they travel to Russia on Oct. 5 to open another three-game road trip.
New Bremen was led by Ashtyn Eilerman's 10 kills and 10 digs, while Charlotte Nelson dished out 19 assists. The Cardinals will look to turn it around Saturday back at The Nest against Sidney Lehman.
