May, Carmel stand firm against Lakes

Before Michael May could even make his way over to the post-game huddle, his back was on ice.

His dad made a bee-line from the stands with a back brace that has a built-in ice pack on the backside.

The Carmel outside hitter will probably need it following every game this season, just as he did after the Corsairs' 25-23, 25-13 season-opening win at Lakes on Tuesday.

Carmel is now 1-0 while Lakes, also playing in its season opener, is 0-1.

"It's just chronic back soreness," May said. "I've been having back soreness for a couple years. It's been off and on. We're not really sure what's going on. It's been tough.

"It gives me some trouble sometimes, but I try to persevere through it."

May did a pretty good job of that against Lakes. He led Carmel with 5 kills and also recorded 6 assists, 3 digs and a block.

"He's a tough kid," Carmel coach Kevin Nylen said of May, a third-year varsity player. "There are times when you can tell that (the back) hurts him. He kind of grins and bears it and still does a really good job for us."

May came up with the winning kill in a first game that was nip-and-tuck throughout. Lakes never took the lead in the latter stages but came within a point multiple times.

In the second game, Carmel gained separation early and was never threatened. The Corsairs were up 12-3 and then 16-5 before putting the game away. May had the winning kill in the second game as well.

"Since it was our first match, I think there were some butterflies in the first set," May said. "We had some scrimmages against our JV before this, but this is the first varsity competition. A lot of it (in the first game) was nerves.

"In the second game, we had a lot more fun. We were just being ourselves and it was a lot more stress-free."

Besides May, Spencer Mueller and Patrick Meadie also came up big at the net for Carmel. Each finished with 4 kills.

Meanwhile, setter Jack Herron rolled up 14 assists.

For Lakes, setter Colton Jewel had 4 kills while Matt Haufe and Jake Deener each had 3 kills.

"The first game was really good for us. We were scrappy," said Jewel, a football standout for Lakes who has been playing volleyball since sixth grade. He also rolled up 15 assists. "But in the second game, we were stuck in some spots. We're really young. We don't have a lot of seniors. We need to talk a little more, and work on some little things that can really fix a lot. I think we can be really good this year."

Lakes, under first-year coach Michele Keenan, an underlevel coach for the Eagles last year, is looking to improve on last season's .500-ish record.

"We are so versatile this year," Keenan said. "And we're a scrappy team, the little engine that could. We'll figure it out."