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Confer surpass 1,000 career assists, as CM volleyball sweeps Central Columbia

By HENRY HUBER 5 min read

MILL HALL - Heading into Thursday's home matchup against Central Columbia, Central Mountain setter Chloe Confer had an additional milestone on her mind alongside winning.

The senior has racked a fair share of assists through her years with the team. And on Thursday, she needed just ten more to surpass 1,000 within her career. Despite how close the milestone stood, Confer didn't try to force things early, letting the match flow around her as she and her teammates worked to handle business on their home court.

Steadily, the milestone grew closer as the Wildcats got out to a 1-0 lead and worked to take control in the second. And with a set to Claire Nestor midway through the set, Confer officially breached it, surpassing double-figure assists on the night and quadruple figures within her career.

"It's a big accomplishment. I've been working on it for the last four years, so I'm very proud of myself and my teammates," said Confer. "I couldn't have done this without my hitters."

"I'm really proud of her," said Central Mountain co-head coach Jenna Schienke on Confer. "She definitely runs our core; she's somebody that we can rely on all the time. She sets our hitters really well, and her connection even throughout this season has grown."

There was still a match to win. And after being honored by the PA announcer and audience at the end of the second set, Confer's teammates honored her with a strong conclusion to the match. Alongside Confer's 18 assists, Sofia Kelley racked up eight of her 13 kills in the third while Allison Koch carried dominant serving forward, as the Wildcats completed the 3-0 sweep behind set wins of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-12.

From a team standpoint, Central Mountain (5-3) bounced back from a tight, 3-1 loss to DuBois on Monday with a well-rounded win over another lofty opponent in the Bluejays. Though Central Columbia hung around in all three sets, the Wildcats found a way to finish strong each time.

"I think we've had a really good week. Although it wasn't the result we wanted against DuBois, I think we put up a really good fight," said Schienke. "We had two days to practice, which was a nice in-between. So, we really had some time to focus in on some little things. And I think we executed well today. We did really well overall."

Despite the sweep, trailed 15-13 in the second set and faced 15-15 ties in both the first and second. Strong play from Lily Huber and Leah Fenstemaker kept Central Columbia in the match, and it showed big-run ability on multiple occasions.

But when push came to shove late in both sets, the Wildcats had an answer. Five aces, including three from Sofia Kelley, a Claire Nestor kill and Alana Ingram block helped them close the first set on a 10-2 run. And three kills and five service points from Allison Koch turned CM's second-set deficit into a convincing lead by set's end.

"One thing we've really focused on is serving," said Schienke when asked about those late-set surges. "When our serving is on, we grab momentum and keep it. And that's something we saw get better and better as the night went on."

With momentum on its side after two set wins and Confer's accomplishment, Central Mountain got out to 9-4 lead in the third before the Bluejays responded with a 6-1 run to tie it. That's when the Wildcats effectively kicked it into high gear, taking the lead on the next point and never allowing it to be tied again.

Gracie Grieco kicked off the surge with three straight aces. And when Allison Koch took up the service line with the team leading 18-12 soon after, the Bluejays would never serve again. Koch doubled her service points to 14 on the night while Kelley racked up five kills in close succession, helping Central Mountain close out the match on a 15-2 run.

"I think moving around the block is a big thing for Sofia. Once she figures it out, she's able to execute really well," said Schienke. "Another strong one is Allison. I think Allison gets to the service line, and it's always good days when she's back there. She's somebody we can always trust, and she moves the ball around really well."

With the win, the Wildcats improved to 5-3 on the season and picked up their fifth win in their last six affairs. They'll look to carry that momentum forward into Saturday's matchup against Somerset, hoping to cap off a busy week on a high note. That match is set for 4 p.m. at Central Mountain.

Central Mountain 3, Central Columbia 0

(25-17, 25-18, 25-12)

Central Mountain service points: Allison Koch 14, Chloe Confer 10, Gracie Grieco 5, Charlee Toner 4, Sofia Kelley 4, Alana Ingram 2, Summer Biggans 2. Central Mountain kills: Sofia Kelley 13, Claire Nestor 5, Alana Ingram 3, Katelyn Walker 2, Allison Koch 1. Central Mountain assists: Chloe Confer 18, Gracie Grieco 4. Central Mountain aces: Chloe Confer 4, Gracie Grieco 4, Allison Koch 4, Charlee Toner 3, Sofia Kelley 3, Alana Ingram 1. Central Mountain blocks: Alana Ingram 6, Claire Nestor 1, Allison Koch 1, Katelyn Walker 1.

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