Chagrin Falls had slow starts to the first and second sets in its first round matchup with Chippewa on Oct. 17 at VASJ. But the Tigers battled back in both to have a chance to rally and take the sets. But they were unable to find their way to a set win as Chippewa recorded a sweep. Chippewa will next face VASJ at Columbiana on Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. The Tigers had some miscues and swings go long that they tried to find the open floor. Coach Kelly Holtz had some lineup changes that came into their rotation. “We had two players out that are in our normal sets,” Holtz said. “They were two big names for us but that’s what happens this time of year. We had five out this week at practice consistently with respiratory issues, it’s just that time of year. They were trying to problem-solve on the court tonight and trying to spin the upside the whole time. I’m proud of the way the girls fought today.” While the Tigers had some struggles, they also had some strong pieces in their comeback attempts. Gigi Calabrese recorded 13 kills, five in the first and third sets. Molly Nightwine also turned in a strong performance on both the attack and in receive game. She recorded seven kills and digs in the contest. The two are a part of the deep returning cast for the Tigers and Holtz is excited to see the growth of the players. “We only have four seniors and a lot of sophomores,” Holtz said. “There’s a lot of good returning players. Our senior middle was covering for our sophomore middle that is sick tonight. We have a lot of good coming back and are proud of the group that we have coming back.” Freshman Molly Wheatley added four blocks and sophomore Sadie Conrad also added seven digs. The Tigers battled point for point in the third set but a few breaks and points went Chippewa’s way to lead to the sweep. All season long, there had been different hurdles that the Tigers have had to work their way over. But Holtz is proud of the job they did in making that happen. And she knows the team will use how the season ended as fuel for next year. “We played up a lot of the season,” Holtz said. “There were no other D-V teams on our schedule and only two that were lower than us. It was really good competition and really good schools that allowed us to learn and grow as the season went. I’m just proud of what they’ve done and how they’ve challenged themselves.” Chippewa was led by Bree Regan and Aira Regan with nine kills each and Lillie Kenley had eight kills, six in the third set.