Knox senior Mollie Taulbee goes up for a successful kill against CGA’s Megan Hicks (far left) and Kylie Hermanson (center). Taulbee’s Knox Redskins defeated the CGA Eagles in three games last night, 25-6, 25-11, 25-18. Pilot Photo/Anthony Gadson

CULVER - Following a five-game loss to John Glenn on Monday, the Knox Redskins seemed to take their frustrations out on the Culver Girls Academy Eagles last night in Culver.

The Redskins needed only three games to knock off the Eagles (25-6, 25-11, 25-18), wiping away some of the bitter taste from Monday's Northern State Conference loss. In that loss, coach Jake Skelly witnessed his team lose a two-game lead, eventually losing in five.

“I just don't know what happened,” he said about the loss earlier in the week. “We talked, yesterday, about that not happening again, and seniors stepping up and being leaders. In every aspect of the game tonight, they did that. When we did get up, we finished.”

In fact, the Redskins never really got down. The only time the Eagles grabbed the lead was when a Knox serve went into the net to start the third game, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead in the game. CGA would jump out to a quick 2-0 lead in the game, but eventually the Redskins regrouped, winning the most tightly contested game, 25-18

“I expected that we'd play them closer,” CGA coach Lori Elliott said. “(The Knox) girls are playing club ball, and those girls are playing all summer long. You can tell - they know each other. We don't know each other. I get the girls 10 days before season, then we go two months, and don't come back until next season.”

If the experience the Knox girls have with each other wasn't enough, their speed was certainly enough to frustrate CGA.

“Against teams like this - they move,” Elliott said about Knox. “We do well against slower teams, but they're a team that can move. And they have two big girls in the middle that can put the ball down.”

The “two big girls in the middle” were seniors Mollie Taulbee and Brooke Zachary. The two girls led Knox's offensive attack with Taulbee recording 20 kills, while Zachary put up 13, thanks, in large part, to Alyssa Walton's 36 assists.

Taulbee is currently second in the state in kills (473), while ranking third in kills per game (5.77). With those numbers, it's plain to see who's the Redskins primary threat.

“She's just talented - she's gifted,” Skelly said of Taulbee, who also finished with 15 blocks and two aces. “That's something you can't teach. She's taken that, and really developed as a player. I can't say enough about her.”

And if a team gears up to stop Taulbee, which is unlikely, teammates. such as Zachary, are right there to pick up the slack.

“Other girls also stepped up, to take some of the pressure off of her shoulders,” Skelly said of the match last night. “Brooke Zachary really stepped up tonight. She's starting to hit the ball real well, and she's seeing the court.”

In order to stand a chance against Knox's offense, Elliott only had one chance, which was to “jump higher.” When that didn't work, the coach wasn't too displeased with the lesson the Redskins taught her team.

“They need this,” Elliott said of the loss. “We're 11-5 (coming into the match), and (the players are) thinking we're pretty good. We're not as good as we think we are. We are slower than, maybe, the 11-5 record shows. To step up to this, and play a little tougher ball will be good for them. We need this.”

On the other side of the net, Skelly couldn't see too much he didn't like.

“There's always things we can improve on,” he said. “But for the most part, the girls did what we asked them to do and got the job done.”

CGA will host Rochester tonight at 5:30 p.m., while Knox will travel to Morgan Township tonight.

KNOX DEFEATED CULVER GIRLS ACADEMY 25-6, 25-11, 25-18
At Culver
CGA Stats
Kills: Melissa Kowalinski 8; Mindy Privett 3; Kylie Hermanson 3.
Blocks: Hermanson 2.
Assists: Megan Hicks 11.
Aces: Hicks 4.
Digs: Jenna Alberts 8; Hicks 5.
Knox Stats
Kills: Mollie Taulbee 20; Brooke Zachary 13; Asia Patrick 8.
Assists: Alyssa Walton 36.
Blocks: Taulbee 15; Zachary 12; Walton 7; Jill Keiper 7.
Digs: Patrick 5; Tasha Sponagule 5.
Aces: Taulbee 2; Sponagule 2.
Records: Knox 18-8; CGA 11-6.
JV Score: CGA (8-5) wins 25-17, 15-25, 15-13.