The Cardinal Huskies’ volleyball team is one win away from winning the title in the Northeastern Athletic Conference Stars Division, sweeping league rival Fairport Harding 25-3, 25-16, 25-15 for their 14th consecutive victory in their home finale last Thursday evening in Middlefield.
“We had a really good first game especially that set the tone,” noted Coach Michael Chaffee. “It was our seniors’ last home game and I think that played into it a little bit and we played extremely well coming out of the gate.”
Having already clinched at least a share of the NAC Stars Division title, if the Huskies (20-1, 16-0) defeat St. John in Ashtabula on Monday evening, they will have captured the league banner outright, earning their first conference championship since the 2018 season. If the Fighting Scots are victorious, then Cardinal will share the NAC Stars Division banner with them.
In their first season as members of the NAC, Cardinal has acquitted itself well in its new league.
“They have done a really good job of working to just continue to get a little bit better,” said the second-year coach. One our goals all year has been to control our own destiny. We wanted to get to where we just controlled our own destiny all of the way and that is how it has played out and it has obviously been a very memorable season so far.”
On Thursday, the Huskies roared to an 1-0 lead by dominating Fairport Harding 25-3 in the first set.
According to Chaffee, everything that could have gone right went right in that match. Fueled by a strong service game, the Huskies were propelled with several big runs, including going on 5-0, 6-0 and 8-0 runs to seize full control.
“That is rare, and Fairport is decent, they are not a team that you think you’re just going to bully like that,” acknowledged Chaffee. “Sometimes that happens when everything goes your way but sometimes that happens when nothing goes your way so enjoy it while you can.”
He said that Skippers showed a renewed effort in the second set as they only trailed 16-12 at the halfway point.
Once again, it was a strong service game that enabled the Huskies to gain separation, going on a 3-1 run to increase their lead to six points and finishing the set with a 6-2 spree to claim a 2-0 lead.
In was the same story in the third set, as the Skippers were within striking distance as Cardinal clung to a 14-11 lead but persevered to win the set with an 11-4 run to finish the match and stay in sole possession of first place in the NAC Stars Division.
In addition to announcing themselves to their new conference with a perfect league record, Chaffee also noted how important it has been for the senior class to set the new standard of success for the underclassmen as the Huskies settle into a league where they have the chance to rule for several years, with three juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen returning next year to build off of the Huskies’ stellar NAC Stars Division debut.
“Our kids are good and understand the game very well and they don’t take anything for granted which is good and we always want to get a little better,” he added. “We always want to play harder and get a little better, but honestly, we don’t talk a lot about winning and losing. We talk about togetherness and getting a little better.”
As the Huskies near the end of the regular season, they have an eye toward repeating their success in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division VI postseason, following on the heels of capturing an OHSAA Division VII district title last year.
Chaffee credits the non-conference schedule his team has played for sharpening their skills not just for a dominant debut in the NAC Stars Division, but also for the playoffs, as the Huskies will be playing in a higher division this year.
“We are in a really challenging region with the way that it is set up now, basically 40 schools go in and divide themselves into three groups so it is not like the old days where you know the 12 teams or something like you are going to be in your district and you can scout and prepare for that,” he noted. “With so many teams in our district, there are probably and reasonably between 12 and 15 schools that could make it to a district final.”
After the Huskies’ regular season duel against St. John on Monday, their postseason journey starts with a home match against St. Thomas Aquinas in the OHSAA Division VI Northeast 3 sectional championship on Oct. 16 at 5 p.m.
