Gabrielle Gilbertson Leads East Lake State University to Victory over Baltimore Tech in Five-Set Thriller
Butch Baird can usually be seen in his crisp, white Copperheads jersey. For one game, he can trade that one in for a Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League All-Star jersey.
On September 12, 2020, East Lake State University faced off against Baltimore Tech in a thrilling volleyball match at Baltimore Stadium. In the end, Baltimore Tech emerged victorious after five closely contested sets (13-25, 25-21, 25-22, 18-25, 15-11). For Baltimore Tech, outside hitters Sarah Brown and Kate Smith were dominant on offense, recording 17 and 26 kills respectively. Middle blocker Mary Peters was also effective, tallying 21 kills on an impressive .389 hitting percentage. Setter Emma Thompson contributed on both offense and defense, registering 19 kills and 3 digs. Despite some strong individual efforts, Baltimore Tech struggled with consistency, committing 22 service errors and 4 blocking errors over the course of the match.
On the other side of the net, East Lake State University boasted an impressive offensive attack led by outside hitters Gabrielle Gilbertson and Mia Styczynski. Gilbertson had a team-high 25 kills and 6 aces, while Styczynski added 29 kills and 1 ace. Middle blocker Maria Bruner was also a force to be reckoned with, posting 28 kills on an outstanding .636 hitting percentage. Setter Marissa Gollnick contributed 20 kills and 7 assists, and libero Elizabeth Fiutem anchored the defense with 9 digs. Overall, East Lake State had a more efficient offensive performance than their opponents, hitting an impressive .488 as a team.
While the two teams were evenly matched in many respects, East Lake State was plagued by inconsistency and missed opportunities throughout the match. They committed 32 errors in total, including 4 blocking errors and 6 service errors. In contrast, Baltimore Tech was able to capitalize on their opponent's mistakes and maintain a steady level of play throughout the match.
Despite the loss, East Lake State can take some solace in the fact that they had several standout individual performances and were competitive in all five sets. Moving forward, they will need to work on improving their consistency and reducing errors if they hope to compete with top teams like Baltimore Tech. As for Baltimore Tech, they will look to build on this victory and continue to refine their offense and defense as the season progresses.