For the first time since 2013 there is a new team on top of the District 1-A volleyball standings after North Greene earned a 3-1 win over South Greene on Thursday evening, 25-16, 25-14, 19-25, 25-17.
“This is a big for us, I’m very excited,” North Greene coach Emaline Erwin said. “It’s been a while since this has happened. We came outwith good energy in the first two sets, we lost it a little bit in the third,but we got it back in the end. We talked well tonight, we were covering the floor, we did good tonight.”
With the win North Greene is now 2-0 in district play, and South Greene dropped its first district game since moving into Class A in 2013.Thursday also marked the first time the Lady Huskies had beaten South Greene since at least 2008, which is as far back as Grassroots Media could find reliable records.
“We are very excited about getting this win,” Erwin said. “We’ve been telling the girls over and over that we have to get on top of the district standings. If we want to go to state we have to be on top of the district. I’m very proud that they executed tonight, and that we are getting there.”
Thursday’s first set started with Kaydence Marshall serving the Lady Huskies out to a 9-0 lead in a stretch that included two aces.
South Greene got going with a kill from Davanie Tarlton, and eventually closed the gap to 11-6. North Greene then got a right-side kill from Loren Blevins and a tip from Josie Graham as its lead grew to 15-8.
North Greene’s back row continued to keep plays alive with tough digs, and forced South Greene to keep at the attack often until an error occurred as the lead over to 19-10. Libero Mercy Buchanan led that effort, but Matti Phillips, Charlie Bishop and Marshall all were active in keeping plays alive on Thursday.
“Mercy was moving fast, and Charlie Bishop was another key role there. They were moving together and it was really good to see,” Erwin said. “When they are hitting the ball hard and we are getting under them it makes it hard on the other team. It’s all about getting it up and getting us going fast.”
After a block and a kill from Tarlton closed the gap to 19-14, Phillips got going on the left side of the net for North Greene where she hammered three kills as the Lady Huskies took a 25-16 win.
The second set went back and forth early, but a rotation violation gave North Greene a 5-4 lead and from there the Lady Huskies never looked back. Graham came up with a sneaky tip and then a kill on consecutive plays to put North Greene in front 12-5.
The Lady Devils then forced some long volleys that finished in South Greene errors before Blevins landed a kill for a 19-9 lead.
Tarlton got South Greene going with a powerful slam from the middle and Whitney Reaves followed it with a kill, but then Hannah Miller and Kallie Dobson landed kills for North Greene as the lead moved to 21-11.
Phillips finished the 25-14 win by dropping a tip over the Lady Rebels.
After a tough start to the day South Greene found a spark in the third set, but the set did start with North Greene jumping in front 8-4.
The Lady Rebels got a block from Reagan Arrowood before Reaves scored on a tip that tied things at 8-8. Good serves from Ryleigh Gregg kept South Greene going before a Reaves finished a long volley with a kill that put the Lady Rebels in front 11-8.
North Greene cut the lead to 15-14 on a kill from Phillips,but South Greene managed to stay in front when Gregg came up with a block on the next play.
The lead stretched back out to 21-15 on a tip from Baylee Jennings and the Lady Rebels held on for a 25-19 win that extended the match.
In the fourth set North Greene took control for the first time when Blevins came up with a block that made it 4-2. Later Blevins dropped in an ace Phillips smashed a kill as the lead grew to 9-4.
Buchanan sent over a pair of aces that put the Lady Huskies up 13-6. North Greene’s biggest lead came at 18-8 after a block from Miller.
Late in the final set Marshall put down a kill, Blevins scored on a free ball and Miller had a block on the way to 25-17 win.
Phillips had a big day all around for North Greene with 12 kills, 25 digs and 11 serve receptions. Buchanan had 57 digs, 35 serve receptions and two aces. Graham had eight kills and seven digs. Marshall had six kills, 17 digs and five aces.
