Lindsey Visvardis lifts Lockport to victory

Lockport’s Lindsey Visvardis took the court Thursday brimming with energy.

So when the Porters came out and fell behind to visiting Morris, the junior libero was there to pick them up.

Visvardis rattled off a 10-0 service run to close the first set with Lockport able to hold off a feisty Morris team in the second in a 25-17, 25-20 nonconference win.

“I think we just needed a good run there,” Visvardis said. “We were struggling, and I think I had that energy and momentum and just kept coming.”

Visvardis finished with five service aces overall to lead Lockport (4-4), which hadn’t played since falling to Mother McAuley in two sets on Sept. 3. Kayla Pfeiffer (13 digs, seven kills, four assists), Olivia Witsaman (nine assists, four kills) and Rachel Weis (nine digs) paced the Porters.

Trailing 17-14 in the opening set, Lockport appeared to be in trouble against an energetic Morris squad. Following a Redskins service error, Visvardis turned things around in a flash.

The junior rattled one service point after another, including two aces, to rally Lockport to the win. Witsaman slammed a kill deep in the corner for the set-winner as Lockport closed on an 11-0 run.

“The coaches told me where to serve, and once I had the momentum, nothing was going to stop me,” Visvardis said. “I knew we needed those points.”

Leading by as many as eight points in the second, Pfeiffer and Co. found themselves fending off a fast-charging Morris team. Pfeiffer and Morris’ Kaylin Korte (seven kills, 13 digs) went toe-to-toe late, but the Lockport star had backup courtesy of Witsaman and Meredith Friscia.

Pfeiffer, Witsaman and Friscia each had two kills apiece late to hold off the Morris charge. The Redskins drew as close as 21-19 on a JoAnna Nowicki (six kills, six digs) kill.

“We came into the second game knowing that they were going to play back at us,” Pfeiffer said. “Everybody hit well, and we knew we had to play like we did the first game.”

Morris (5-3) got contributions from Cara Cummings (eight assists, three kills) and Austin Thompson (10 assists).

“We need to stay focused and not be looking around,” Morris coach Jackie Litwiller said. “We have moments of greatness, and then not.”