Northern Tier Sports ReportTOWANDA — In a wild back and forth match Canton eked out a 3-2 win at Towanda during NTL volleyball action Tuesday.
The Knights took the first set 25-18, with the Warriors rallying for a 25-23 win during the second set.
Towanda finished the third set strong for a 25-21 win, only for Canton to roll to a 25-17 win in the fourth set. Canton then took the match as they held off Towanda for a 15-12 fifth set win.
“So we’ve been really working on mental toughness this year,” said Canton coach Jackie Thompson. “Last night they fought back from some deficits, and I just kept reminding them how that felt, and it feels so much better to play with that mentality, that they can do it. And tonight they proved to me again that it’s in there, the hard work they’ve been doing is coming along, and it’s good to see.”
As for the Knights this is their fourth 5-set loss of the season, their fourth in sixth matches.
“I feel like they shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place,” Towanda coach Cassie Smith said about her team in the fifth set. “We talked a lot about starting strong, getting that momentum right from the start, and so they kind of dug themselves a hole that was just too much. Canton played a great game, they were great on defense, and that really helped them get that win. I kind of wish we would have been on the other end of it, but it is what it is.”
Brenna VanNoy had 16 points, 26 assists, 12 digs, and four aces for Canton as Tara Gilbert had 14 kills, 18 points, nine digs, and five aces.
“We’ve really been relying on her,” Thompson said about Gilbert. “She’s a big hitter, she’s a great passer, and she just has that confidence on the floor that we need.”
Kaybree Kendall notched 29 digs, nine points, one ace, and one assist, with Cailyn VanNoy getting 16 points, 24 digs, nine kills, two aces, and one assist.
Danah Wesneski had eight points, two kills, three digs, and an assist with Adelynn Cardona adding 15 points, two aces, three kills, and four digs.
Makenna Seachrist notched nine kills, one dig, and one assist, as Alyssa May had four digs, and Ashley Valera notched two.
For Towanda Karis Flynn had 25 assists, 21 digs, 17 points, an ace, four kills, and two blocks, as Lariah Long notched 19 digs, 16 points, an ace, and four kills.
Brooklyn Evans had 12 digs, 11 kills, and six points, with Brynsen Vargason getting 24 digs, eight points, and an ace.
Kaya Johnson had nine kills, four points, two blocks, and an assist as Kylee Barnes had two blocks.
Alayna Rankin notched three kills, and a dig, with Caedence Wells adding four points, two aces, and two digs.
Kendall Kellogg had two digs, a kill, and an assist, with LilyAnn Sproule getting an assist, and Ali Hollett adding a dig.
In the first set Towanda held a narrow 11-10 lead when they rattled off 14 of the next 22 points to pull away for the win.
The second set was the momentum changer. Canton found themselves down 22-15, but scored 10 of the final 11 points for the win.
“We really rely on our senior outside hitter, and she’s been swinging really well or us, and it’s just been that mentality of we can do this,” Thompson said.
Canton used that momentum to take an early lead in the third only to watch Towanda chip away as they tied it up at 17-all.
The Knights then went on to score eight of the final 12 points to take the 2-1 lead.
“I just tell the girls you’ve got to do the little things,” Smith said about their third set comeback. “Make sure your energy is there, getting to your spot, and playing clean volleyball. When we were in a good place they were doing those things. There was a couple of times they lost focus, and that’s when Canton was able to capitalize on that.”
The Warriors came out strong in the fourth set, and this time didn’t slow up as they rolled to the eight point win to set up the fifth set.
“Right before we went out there I told them it was 15 points,” Thompson remarked. “They just needed to work as much work as they had left in them, and they came out with a great attitude. We’ve been getting them some serve receive reps that have been taking us out of games, and they really sided out well in that game, and it was a game changer for us.”
While Canton is pretty much locked into a battle with Sayre for the District IV, Class A title, this makes Towanda’s math to make districts trickier.
The Knights are now 6-8 with six matches left, so they need to go 4-2 the rest of the way to qualify for districts.
“Every game is important,” said Smith. “Their goal is still districts, it’s still within reach, so these girls, they just need to kind of buckle down. They’ve got to focus, they’ve got to do their jobs, and they can do it. They can get there, it’s just up to them.”
Towanda won the JV match 25-11 and 25-11.
Hollett had 20 points, 10 aces, 10 assists, and a kill for the Knights as Addy Barrett had seven kills, one block, and two points.
London Decker notched two points, an ace, two kills, and one dig, with Lennon Rice getting three points, and ace, and one dig.
Sadie Overpeck had six points, and a dig as Emma Space had a kill and a point.
Samantha Hartigan added two digs with Sianna Lane and Paige Buchanan each getting a dig.
For Canton Raya Preston had two kills, three assists, and two digs as Lindley Sechrist notched six digs, one ace, and a kill.
Amelia Pepper had a kill with five digs, as Emilia Pepper notched an ace with five digs.
Emilee Walker had an ace, a kill, and a dig as Lexi McMurray had a kill, and a dig.
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING
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