Metea Valley’s Olivia Stewart likes to keep things simple, even in situations that are anything but.
The 6-foot-1 junior middle hitter stuck to that approach Wednesday night when the host Mustangs were on the verge of defeat against Geneva, a team they had swept in a match last month.
“Honestly, I was just sticking to my fundamentals, just sticking to my training and knowing (to) don’t overthink it,” Stewart said. “Just go up there, see the ball, see the hitter and put it down.”
Stewart contributed six kills and a match-high five blocks against the upset-minded Vikings, who led for all but five points in the nonconference match. Two of her blocks ended the second and third games as the Mustangs eked out a 21-25, 25-23, 26-24 victory in Aurora.
“She’s so long and athletic and that’s why I keep talking about her being one of the top middles in the state,” Metea Valley coach Dave Macdonald said of Stewart. “You can’t say enough about her and her willingness to adjust.
“She got beat a little bit in the beginning and we made some adjustments and that’s the competitor in her. She did a great job of setting that block and now people are trying to hit around her.”
Metea (24-7) started slowly after senior night festivities. Stewart, the lone underclassmen in the starting lineup, was not immune.
Senior outside hitter Lillian Hanrahan and senior right-side Samantha Vanda combined for 22 kills for Geneva (17-12), which appeared to have the win in hand with a 11-5 lead in the second game.
The Vikings were up 23-20 before the Mustangs scored the next five points to force a third game. Stewart scored the final two points on a kill and a block.
But Geneva controlled much of the final set behind Georgetown-bound middle Fiona Turnbull, who had three of her eight kills and five of her eight service points to give her team a 14-8 lead.
A kill from Hallahan gave Geneva quadruple match point at 24-20 but Stewart never lost faith.
“I always think it’s never over until whoever scores 25 and you can’t stop playing until the final whistle blows,” Stewart said. “No matter how much you’re up or how much you’re down, you’ve got to keep playing your hardest.”
The Mustangs did just that. A Geneva error gave the serve to junior outside hitter Ashley Ward, who served the last points, including two aces. Her second ace broke a 23-23 tie and set up Stewart’s clinching block.
“I was very confident in everybody on the team and very confident in Olivia,” Ward said. “If they dug my serve up, I knew she was going to be ready on those blocks.
“If the ball came back over, she’s always ready in transition to put the ball away. I really love that about her because that makes her an all-around outstanding player.”
Ward also likes Stewart’s intangibles.
“She’s a great person and really brings the energy,” Ward said. “She’s always cracking jokes on the court, bringing everybody’s spirit up, and that really brings us all together.
“She’s definitely a key factor in uniting us on and off the court.”
Stewart, who has several Division I offers, is clearly a player on the rise.
How high can she climb?
“Honestly, I don’t think I have a ceiling,” Stewart said. “I just try to be the best teammate I can be for my team, just staying in the gym and always working, not thinking about what the people around me are doing or saying, just playing for my team while constantly getting better.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
