High school volleyball: (2) Mentor vs (7) Riverside, Division I district final capsule
Oct. 25—https://tags.remixd.com/player/v5/index.js?cb=%%CACHEBUSTER%%
(2) Mentor vs. (7) Riverside
When: 7 p.m., Oct. 26
Where: Mentor, 6477 Center St., Mentor
Records: Mentor 20-4, Riverside 17-7
Mentor's path: Defeated Lakeside 3-1, def. Mayfield 3-0
Riverside's path: Defeated Roosevelt 3-0, def. Louisville 3-0
Up next: Winner advances to play the St. Joseph-Wadsworth winner in a regional semifinal on Nov. 2 at Hudson.
For the Record: Two schools separated by less than 10 miles play for a regional berth. Mentor came out strong and swung away against Mayfield. Sophomores Kayden McKinney and Melody Garrett combined for 28 kills. The Cardinals also had five others get involved in the attack, including fellow underclassmen Teagan Daly and Claire Kovell. The ball handling of Sam Hartman, who recorded 38 assists for the Cardinals, helped guide the attack in the sweep of the Wildcats. One area Mentor will need to be ready for Riverside is on the block, as they totaled four against Mayfield. With an equally strong attack on the other side of the net in Riverside, the play in the front row will be even more important. ... Riverside started slowly against Louisville in large part with Jacleyn Zgnoc and Savannah Laurenty, who combined for 24 kills. The block for the Beavers took a back seat in large part to their success in getting the Leopards out of rotation. Add in the defensive prowess of Bree Herman with 20 digs and it was a sweep for the Beavers to return to the district final. If Riverside is to pull the upset over Mentor, the Beavers will need the block on the pins to be just as strong as it has been all season.
Hercik's pick: Mentor
