Lafayette uses team effort to sweep past Incarnate Word

WILDWOOD – Most teams would be shaken when finding out its kills leader would be unavailable moments before a big match.

But Lafayette is not like most teams.

Playing without standout middle hitter Shaye Witherspoon (illness) and her 4.82 kills a game, the Lancers had multiple players step up in an impressive 26-24, 25-23, 25-19 sweep of visiting Incarnate Word on Thursday night.

Maya Witherspoon blasted 18 kills and Kyla Krimmel added nine more for Lafayette (24-4), No. 1 in the STLhighschoolsports large-school rankings. Carly DeSarno had 26 assists.

"It was definitely more of a team effort," Maya Witherspoon said. "I think the biggest part was trying to let it not shake us. Obviously, she's a huge part of our team. She was one of our starters, so I think it was just a team effort trying to get everyone on the same page, making sure we weren't super scrambled and discombobulated."

Krimmel, who averages just over a kill a game, had a strong game on the outside while Kira Dufner, Mackie Mueller and Claire Ulrich had big contributions in the middle. Dufner, Mueller and Ulrich combined for 11 kills and 10 blocks.

"Claire Ulrich busts her butt every day in practice, and I was so happy for her to be able to have a moment to show what she can do," Lafayette coach Zach Young said. "She played great, and our middles were wonderful today. We've been really emphasizing blocking and I thought that came up big tonight."

A couple of Mueller blocks and two big swings from Krimmel sparked a 6-0 run late in the third set that gave Lafayette a commanding 24-18 lead. A serving error ended the 1 hour, 27-minute match a couple of points later.

"I thought, our back row defense, we dug, I think maybe 20 balls a set, which we were not doing earlier in the year," Young said. "And the blocking really came up big there. So, I'm proud of our kids effort."

Ellie Witthaus put down 18 kills and Lexi Schmid had 29 assists for Incarnate (24-10), the No. 3 small school.

"We started a little slow, but you know, my goal is, you want to earn the right to have the shot," Incarnate coach Shane Weber said. "And we had four swings there where it was that first set, we earned the right to get there. And I'm a firm believer, if you can get to that spot enough, you're going to have success."

Finishing Strong

Lafayette regrouped after a 6-1 run suddenly gave Incarnate a 24-22 lead in the first set. Addy Wiese's ace evened the frame at 24-all and blocks from Ulrich and Mueller clinched the opener for the Lancers.

"Definitely just keeping everyone confident, making sure that they can do it, and just giving them multiple chances, even if they do mess up," DeSarno said.

An Ella von Almen ace gave Incarnate a 21-20 lead late in the second set, but Maya Witherspoon took over from there blasting five kills down the stretch to give Lafayette a 2-0 lead.

"It was a big boost for us," Maya Witherspoon said. "They're a great team. They played a great match. I think our biggest takeaway from that is that we got to show up every game."

Tough Stretch

It was the third match in as many nights for Incarnate against ranked large school opponents. The Red Knights beat No. 7 Marquette in four sets on Tuesday and edged No. 3 St. Dominic in five sets on Wednesday.

"We're definitely tired, but that's never an excuse," Weber said. "I want a tough week at the end of the season. I tried it every year and this is certainly one."

Love Like Chris

It was Lafayette's Dig Pink game and proceeds raised money to the Sideout Foundation, which focuses on breast cancer research, and The Impact Collective, which sends youth on mission trips. The Impact Collective was started by the family of Chris Toomey, a former Lafayette volleyball coach who passed away unexpectedly from a cardiac event in 2022.