The Greeneville volleyball team fought hard on Thursday night, but could not manage to get the better of Elizabethton in a 3-1 loss, 24-26, 25-17, 25-20, 25-22.
“I hate losing, but I’m really proud of the girls. They dug in and competed, they showed that they are competitors,” Greeneville coach Sara Aiken said. “We’ve had ups and downs this season and at times have struggled showing that competitiveness. But tonight, I was proud of them showing that fight.”
Thursday’s first set started with Greeneville battling from the brink of defeat to claim a 26-24 win.
In the early going Brynlee Jones landed a pair of aces to give the Lady Devils a 5-3 advantage, but Elizabethton swung in front at 7-5 after Zoe Proffitt put down a kill from the left side and Ava George Wilber came up with an ace.
Greeneville regained the lead at 8-7 on an ace by Leah Ford, but then errors gave the advantage back to the Lady Cyclones. Elizabethton stretched the lead to 17-14 after Wilber rose up for a menacing block and then Proffitt dropped in a kill from the back row.
Greeneville answered with kills from Kyla Jobe and Kinley McCaslin to even he score at 17-17, but then errors again gave the lead back to the Lady Cyclones. Elizabethton’s biggest lead came at 22-18, and they looked to be on the verge of victory at 23-20.
Jobe lifted the Lady Devils spirits with a right-side kill. Emma Shelton then evened the score at 23-23 with a kill from the middle. Jobe put Greeneville in front at 25-24 with a back-row kill and Destani Bailey hammered down the winning kill from the middle.
In the second set Elizabethton took back the momentum and jumped out to a 7-2 lead. In that opening stretch Wilber had two kills and a block.
Jobe tried to close the gap for Greeneville with a tip and two kills, and then Shelton scored on a tip to cut Elizabethton’s lead to 9-7.
Four errors by Greeneville and a block by Allie Stout put the Lady Cyclones back in front 14-7. Elizabethton’s biggest lead came at 20-10 on an ace by Ainsley Wampler. From there Greeneville could not catch up and Elizabethton took a 25-17 win.
The third set saw the Lady Devils gain the first advantage at 6-3 with Natalie Knight landing an ace, Jobe coming up with a kill and Bailey dropping over a tip.
With Jocelin Julian serving Elizabethton came back and tied things at 10-10.
Greeneville stayed in front with kills from Jobe and Ford, but then two swings sailed out of bounds to tie things again at 14-14.
A kill by Wampler gave Elizabethton command of the set at 19-18, and from there Greeneville never regained the lead. Wilber scored four of Elizabethton’s final five points with two kills, a block and a push to the back line on the way to a 25-20 win.
In the fourth set, down two sets to one, Greeneville again started strong and took a 4-1 lead with McCaslin landing an ace and a kill.
Three consecutive aces by Trudi Aiken put Greeneville in front 9-4, and a tip and a kill by McCaslin kept the Lady Devils in front at 11-7.
Elizabethton tied things at 14-14 on a tip at Mahala Nave , and again at 15-15 on a kill by Wilber.
Greeneville found a little cushion after Jobe scored on a kill and a tip before Ford got an ace to fall. A block by Allie Stout put Elizabethton in front 19-18, and the Lady Cyclones stayed in front the rest of the way.
Jobe made a diving save on a free ball that landed for a score which closed the gap to 24-22, but Wilber answered with a kill on the next play to secure the 25-22 win for the Lady Cyclones.
“We need to get back to our fundamentals,” Aiken said. “If we clean up a tiny touch on our ball control and clean up our attacking errors, I think that takes care of it. We have to stay focused on the right things. When you are playing good competition you have to think ahead and anticipate the right things.”
