Mentor vs. Shaker Heights volleyball: Cardinals sweep Red Raiders to rebound after up

After an up-and-down weekend quad, Mentor looked for some home cooking to be the solution to get its record back on track. With its conference opener against Shaker Heights on the docket, it was a strong chance to bounce back.

That was just what the Cardinals did. They swept the Red Raiders and were able to get their momentum back.

Mentor (5-2) opened the season with wins over the likes of Kenston and NDCL, but the Cardinals dropped close games with Olmsted Falls and Anthony Wayne in the quad. While it wasn’t a crash back down, Coach Samantha Weaver knew it was good for the team.

It showed the players where they could improve their game, and that was something Weaver knew was going to be important as they opened conference play. Throughout the game, she was able to get some players in different situations to learn in a game setting as well.

“Our first six games were really tough, and we saw some really good competition,” Weaver said. “So we knew it was important to reset going into this week. And we got a lot of kids in. I wanted to see them get the experience in those situations, and it was good to see that tonight.”

Even with some new players in different situations, there were still several veteran voices the players could lean on for assistance. One was Sam Hartman, who over the weekend broke the career assists record for Mentor.

During the contest, Hartman found herself setting for some different faces such as Taylor Williams-Stevens and Sadie Stovall. While they might be different names on the court for Mentor, it’s still two with whom Hartman is very familiar.

“In practice, when we’re playing six-on-six, we try to mix everyone in,” Hartman said. “So that way we have that experience. Everyone is very talented, and it’s very easy for all of us to play together. Even if someone like Taylor is called on in a situation, we have that experience together to be able to handle situations.”

It was a diverse group of hitters for Mentor as seven hitters recorded kills, with Melody Garrett leading the way with eight. The big thing for the Cardinals this season hasn’t been focusing on the attack, rather filling the floor with passers.

Every player knows the situation and who to feed the ball toward for the situation, even getting Hartman in on the attack. The setter knows no matter where they are for the rotation, they are able to find the right person to bump the ball to.

“I think that our passers have been able to recognize situations really well to help me get into positions for those kills,” Hartman said. “We’re a really good out of system team and can handle what challenges other teams throw at us really well. It’s just a matter of finding the right way to handle those situations and everyone is ready for that.”

The Cardinals look to keep their momentum going when they travel to Cleveland Heights on Aug. 31. Shaker Heights (1-5) also hits the road on the same day for a match with conference rival Strongsville.