WILDWOOD — Lafayette High junior Shaye Witherspoon has gained a reputation for her thunderous attacks and imposing net-front presence, but it was a play she made Thursday night that won’t show up in the box score that left an impression.
With the second set well in hand for the Lancers as they hosted St. Dominic, the Crusaders sent a ball over the net that seemed destined for the floor. Instead of coasting with the commanding lead, the 6-foot-3 Witherspoon laid out on the floor for a pancake dig, allowing Lafayette to eventually win the point.
“It’s really just a mental game,” Witherspoon said. “Like, obviously we were up, but it’s also like, we still want to win, and we still don’t want to let up. So, we’re all going hard, 100% all the time during the entire game. It’s not just one set, not just a couple points, like, it’s 100% the whole game.”
Witherspoon’s play was the epitome of a team-wide effort as Lafayette cruised to a 25-11, 25-9, 25-19 win in a nonconference girls volleyball match featuring two of the top teams in the area.
Lafayette coach Zach Young said Witherspoon, who has committed to NCAA Division I power Nebraska, showed leadership with her play.
“She’s just really grown, and she’s really worked on her entire game,” Young said. “She’s always been an incredible attacker and blocker, but her back row game has really reached a new level this year.”
Witherspoon had 17 kills and five aces for Lafayette (21-1), No. 1 in the STLhighschoolsports.com large school rankings. Aubrey Toti had nine kills, Claire Ulrich had four kills and three blocks, and Hailey Lowery and Alexa Hastings combined for 25 assists.
Natalie Frazier and Maddy Mannebach each had seven kills for No. 2 St. Dominic (17-4-2), while Charlotte Bland had 19 assists.
“We need to work on fighting for a whole match, you know, and not getting down when things don’t go exactly how we’re used to them going,” St. Dominic coach Courtney Bland said. “Obviously, they’re an incredibly talented team, and they just don’t give you a break at any point. But yeah, we know what we need to work on now, and we’ll get back to work.”
Toti, a 6-foot freshman outside hitter, put her stamp on the match for Lafayette playing like a seasoned upperclassman.
“I credit our seniors for bringing her in and making her feel like part of the group right away, but she’s got a mentality that obviously is above a freshman and handles some big moments,” Young said. “We’ve had some big matches this week, and she’s risen to the occasion.”
Toti said she was welcomed with open arms by the upperclassmen from day one.
“Everybody was so welcoming and it’s just a fun team,” Toti said.
Kicking it into gear
After a slow start, Lafayette took control of the first set with an 11-1 run. Toti sparked the outburst with four kills and Witherspoon put down a couple more as the Lancers took a 16-9 lead.
Addy Wiese put down four aces and Ulrich added a block down the stretch before Witherspoon’s fifth spike of the frame clinched the opener for Lafayette.
“Everything was starting to click,” Toti said. “After just a couple of balls, we were all like, it’s go time.”
Lancers keep rolling
Witherspoon blasted three kills around another Ulrich block as Lafayette jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back in the second set. An Ulrich ace and backrow blast helped bring up set point before a Sylvia Caby spike gave Lafayette a 2-0 lead.
Witherspoon had five kills and Ulrich and Toti each had a pair in the frame.
“I credit our servers,” Young said. “I thought we served the ball really well tonight. St. Dominic is a really good offensive team, and if you let them get going, it’s scary. Our servers kind of kept them off balance tonight.”
Finishing kick
Kills by Peyton Dolly and Witherspoon snapped a 14-all tie in the third set. Witherspoon extended the lead with a kill and an ace and a St. Dominic error ended the 64-minute match.
“It’s a new team,” Witherspoon said. “A lot of new faces and we’re all starting to click.”
Up next
St. Dominic: Travels to Eureka at 5:45 p.m. Monday.
Lafayette: Hosts Mater Dei at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday.
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