NTL VOLLEYBALL: TROY HOLDS ON TO BEAT TOWANDA, 3-1 (2024-09-06)
BY CHRIS MANNINGNorthern Tier Sports ReportTOWANDA — Down 1-0 after the first set Troy volleyball needed a spark, and got one in the form of freshman Haidyn Watson. Watson served Troy to a 13-1 second set lead as the Trojans won the final three sets to top Towanda, 3-1, in NTL volleyball action Thursday.
“That’s a big moment for a freshman to be able to do that,” said Troy coach Abby Herman. “She kind of just settled everybody’s nerves. They accept her well back there, and I couldn’t ask for a better person to come in and seven those straight points, and for it to be a freshman.”
The Knights took the first 25-20, but saw Troy pull away for a 25-5 win in the second set. The Trojans held off a Towanda rally in the third, 25-23, then took care of business in the fourth set, 25-14.
After a slow start in the first set Troy got their offense going in the second, hitting the far corners, then trying to tip it over the front line. Towards the end they turned on the gas with their hits.
“My message every time was to swing, to hit the ball,” Herman said. “Hitting wins game, as much as tipping works, a nice, good swing gets everybody riled up, and it just brings the emotion back into the game, more than a tip can. I think we got a little too comfortable with tipping at sets that weren’t on when we needed them to be, and they just just started firing out.”
Aryana Andrus had 14 kills, one assist, three aces, four digs, and four blocks for Troy as Kali Ayres had 11 kills, three assists, one ace, and eight digs.
Brenna Jackson added nine digs, 20 assists, two aces, and two kills, with Marlee Stanton getting two kills, one assist, one ace, and three digs.
Josie Kerrick notched two kills and two digs, as Alli Bailey had two kills and two digs. Watson finished with two aces, and four digs, as Amber White added a kill.
Towanda played with a scrappy energy most of the game, which allowed them to eke out a first set win, but also could be their own worst enemies at times.
“The moral of the story, and the girls’ already know this, is unforced errors,” said Towanda coach Cassie Smith. “We gave a lot of points away, and it just shows experience. It just shows, not making excuses or anything, but they know they have to clean up the unforced errors, it’s as simple as that.”
Brooklyn Evans had 10 kills, two blocks, seven digs, and two points for the Knights as Karis Flynn had five kills, 14 assists, five points, six digs, and two blocks.
Alyssa Dulaney had six digs, one assist, one kill, and five points, with Lariah Long adding four kills, six points, one block, and four digs.
Brynsen Vargason had 17 digs, six points, and three kills, as Kaya Johnson added three kills, three points, one block, and an assist.
Layla Miller had two digs with Lillie Maynard and Caedence Wells getting one dig, apiece.
The first set was back and forth early on then, with Towanda down 14-12, they won a long point that was the turning point of the set.
They out scored Troy 12-6 from that point on to get the first set win, scoring the four points of the game.
It didn’t last, though, as Troy jumped out to a 13-1 second set lead behind Watson’s serving, then saw Andrus serve them to a 22-3 lead before Ayres finished the 25-5 win off with a kill.
“We were looking to carry that momentum into the second set, but it just didn’t happen,” Smith said. “Volleyball is a game of momentum. They got it back, and they were able to run with it.”
Troy rode that momentum to an 8-2 lead to start the pivotal third set, but some Long serving cut it to 9-7. Troy would extend that advantage to 12-7, only to see Towanda rally for a 13-12 score.
The Trojans would out score Towanda 7-4 over the next 11 points to go up 20-16, prompting a Black Knight timeout.
Once again Towanda rallied, cutting it to 23-22, but an attack that was out saw Troy go up 24-22.
The Trojans returned the favor with a serve that was out of bounds, making it a 1-point game again.
However, an Andrus hit sent Towanda’s defensive scrambling, and they were called for a net violation, giving Troy the 2-point win.
In the final set Troy’s offense got rolling as they had 10 kills, jumping out to an 11-2 lead. The Black Knights got it as close as 15-9, but were out scored 10-5 the rest of the way.
Towanda did pull out a 2-1 win in JV action. Troy won the first set 26-24, but Towanda took the next two 26-24 and 15-11.
Kylie Barnes had six kills and three points for Towanda, as Ali Hollett had eight points, one kill, six assists, and one dig.
Addison Barrett notched four kills, 10 points, and one dig, with Hannah Crawford getting 12 points, two kills, and two digs.
London Decker finished with two kills and three digs, as Nozila Ismailova had a kill, a dig, and an ace.
Kendall Kellogg had three kills and seven points, Lennon Rice finished with a kill, while Alyana Rankin had a dig with three assists.
Troy will be at the Williamson Tournament this weekend, which will feature some of the best talent in the NTL.
“We definitely still need to work on our block coverage,” remarked Herman. “It’s not there all the time. Luckily, it didn’t affect us tonight too much. There were a few cases, but that’s definitely something we need to work on more. And defense, always defense.”
Towanda will be off until next week, when they have three matches lined up.
“Just cleaning up those unforced errors,” Smith said. “Not making those silly mistakes; and we’ve said this, when were playing a quality team like Troy you can’t give them any room, you can’t give them any points. But, gosh, they’ve got the skills, they’ve got the mentality. I believe in them wholeheartedly, I know they can do it.”
— —
PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING
Print Friendly Version
