Source: Observer & Eccentric

Author: Dan O'Meara / John Stormzand

Jenna Reinhold’s 17th birthday was made extra special by what she and her Farmington Hills Mercy teammates accomplished Thursday on the volleyball court.

The senior rightside hitter was one of the team’s top performers as the Marlins staged an impressive come-from-behind victory over rival Birmingham Marian.

After losing the first set, 29-27, the host Marlins showed great resiliency and dominated the next three to win the match, 25-15, 25-15, 25-16.

“It was great, especially since today is my birthday,” Reinhold said. “ It was senior night; it was a great win. I’m so proud of how everybody played. It was just a great night. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.”

Reinhold, who had a team-best nine kills in the match, added she was not surprised by Mercy’s ability to rebound from a potentially devastating loss in the first set.

“We’ve worked so hard for this and it’s time that we finally won,” she said. “It’s such a rivalry; it’s always a big game. We worked hard, so it’s great to see that it’s finally showing through.”

With one loss each, the teams will share the Catholic League Central Division championship, but Marian will be the No. 1 seed for the playoffs.

The Mustangs (32-11) defeated Mercy when the teams played Oct. 3 at Marian, winning much the same way as the Marlins did in a three-set sweep. Marian wins the tiebreaker based on sets won, 4-3.

“We knew they were going to have a response based on how we handled them in our gym,” Marian coach Angela Kalczynski said. “I expected that in their home gym after the way we beat them at (Marian). I did not expect anything else.”

Marian had the early lead in the first set, but Mercy closed to 21-20 and tied the score at 23-23. Eventually, the Mustangs won it with a double block by Paige Carey (who has committed to CMU) and Meghan Cotant, followed by a monster kill by Jessie Kopmeyer.

“Actually, I thought we had them in that first (set),” Mercy coach Loretta Vogel said. “I can’t honestly say we let it slip away because, when you play Marian, the (set) is never over until that final point.

“I was worried. Will there be a big letdown emotionally? We had a game plan and we followed it completely and it worked well for us tonight.”

It was the fourth time the teams have played this season, with each side having won twice. The rivals know each other well by now.

“I think the difference was we had a pretty good scouting report,” Vogel said. “We knew exactly what we thought they were going to do. Consequently, we had a good idea what we wanted to run on offense.”

The key was being able to pass well, Vogel noted. The Marlins (28-11-2) were able to transition to their offense and run an effective attack.

Whereas, the Mustangs had the bigger hits and better attack in the first set, Mercy was more dominant in the next three. The combination of Reinhold, Jessica Rieckhoff, Kelli McDonald and Christa Greenwood kept the Marian defense guessing, delivering big hit after big hit.

“If you can pass the ball, you can set your offense,” Vogel said. “I thought we had some pretty good passes. That attack and how we set up the offense was just enough to open someone up, so they could go one-on-one with a block. That made a big difference.”

The Marlins also served well and had 11 aces. The result of their steady and effective serving was to keep the Mustangs from running the kind of attack they did in the first set.

“We were able to get them out of system and because of that, it was difficult for them to find Paige,” Vogel said. “She did get a couple kills and we were very aware of her. We were able to take their middles out and (focus) on the outside with Jess Kopmeyer.

“She’s a tremendous player. She was the No. 1 lady we were trying to watch. She caught us twice on the sideline in the first game and that should not have happened. She was able to set the tone.

“She can dominate so that makes it difficult to dig. We had to get touches on them (at the net). We were able to do that and were able to block them tonight.”

The Marlins have adjusted their lineup, moving senior Jenna Lerg back to libero and putting junior Shanleigh Conlan in as setter.

Vogel added everyone in the front row played well. McDonald had eight kills, Fisher six, Greenwood and Rieckhoff five apiece.

“I can’t just point to one person, because I don’t think we’re that kind of team,” Vogel said. “We need and require everyone. We don’t have a Jess Kopmeyer. We’re those little pieces of the puzzle.”

In the last three sets, the Mustangs didn’t get the big hits they did in the first.

“Ultimately, our serve and pass broke down,” Kalczynski said. “Once your serve and pass break down, you can’t run your middles, which then makes you one-dimensional. It makes us very predictable.”

Reinhold also acknowledged the role of Mercy’s defense, which included Lerg, Conlan, Jaclyn Ruffolo and Monica Shuk, in getting the offense started.

“We wouldn’t be anything without our passing,” she said. “They dug up so many of Paige’s hits, their middles’ hits. We struggled a little bit in the beginning. Then we picked it up and they just got everything. Then our hitters put it away. It was a really fun game.”