The Cougars splashed the volleyball through the defense of Berkeley Springs creating a kaleidoscope of three straight sets forming a match victory in Baker last Tuesday by the scores of 25-16, 25-20, 25-17.
“We came out and battled. When you are down a couple of kids, it is always a challenge to try a new rotation out and our girls did a good job of adapting to it. We basically gutted out a win here. That is a scrappy team we just played. We knew they had a couple good players including a freshman middle hitter who really stepped up since we last played them,” East Hardy assistant coach Chris Hahn stated.
“Hopefully things can stay consistent and keep going the way they are going for us. I wouldn’t say we are hitting on all cylinders, but we are tuning the car in pretty good right now. We will see how things hold up barring injuries. The effort is there and they are putting the work in at the gym during practice and it is translating out here on the court during the match. We play some good competition. You either get better or get smacked pretty good. I am proud of these girls, they are coming around nicely.”[private]
The Indians started the match with an ace by Ally Morris, but the ensuing serve was saved by East Hardy’s Lily Riggle and Emily Dyer passed to SierraMarie Miller for a kill to equalize the first set.
Miller’s serve was returned into the net, then Erin Riggle made an attack which was redirected in the net to give the Cougars an early 3-1 lead.
East Hardy scored the next two points on a serve not returned and Riggle smashed the ball.
Berkeley Springs collected a point as Morris made a kill, but the Cougars answered with three more points.
Riggle and Miller’s attacks were volleyed back into the net surrounding an ace served by Courtney Shank, putting East Hardy up 8-2.
After a timeout, Berkeley Springs notched a point on a spike by Eva Jacobsen before her first serve went out of play.
East Hardy’s Emily Dyer served and the Indians kept the ball in action with Lydia Fincham finishing the sequence knocking down a kill.
An attack by Berkeley Springs Grace Sullivan was saved by East Hardy’s Lily Riggle and Miller took the pass and found Riggle for a kill.
A spike by Morris put the Indians on the service line, but Amarie Farris served out of bounds as East Hardy maintained an 11-5 lead.
Attacks by Indians players Jenna Tuttle and Eva Jacobsen deflected off the Cougars for points, then Shank’s attack was blocked by Morris.
Miller’s attack went too deep, then Dyer made a dig and Miller launched another attack which was saved by Carlee Spielman.
Berkeley Springs took a 12-11 edge as Jacobsen nailed three consecutive kills, then Miller tied the set with a soft tap over the net.
East Hardy’s Gabby Miller made a dig and a set from Riggle to SierraMarie Miller developed into a spike.
After a service error, Riggle fired an attack rocketing off of Berkeley Springs’ Farris back into the corner of the net.
The Indians answered with a spike by Jacobsen to tie the set again at 14-all.
Erin Riggle and SierraMarie Miller sandwiched kills around two Indians errors to put East Hardy ahead 18-14 before a timeout was called.
Gabby Miller pushed an attack through a block attempt and SierraMarie Miller finished the set with two spikes, giving the Cougars a 25-16 win.
Berkeley Springs took a 2-nil edge to begin the seconds set on a kill by Jacobsen and a service point from Morris.
East Hardy’s Erin Riggle earned a point as a volley found its way past a block attempt.
Berkeley Springs’ Jenna Tuttle had an attack fielded on a dig by East Hardy’s Lily Riggle, then the next attack went high and deflected off Riggle’s fingertips for a point.
Erin Riggle’s attack ricocheted off of the Indians’ Carlee Spielman to the floor for a point.
There were some good volleys back and forth during the serve by East Hardy’s Emily Dyer and came to an end on a block by Jacobsen on Riggle, 4-2.
Jacobsen served into the net, then Riggle served and Miller made a block to tie the set.
Gabby and SierraMarie Miller both garnered points off of kills and had some defensive help on digs by Shank and Lily Riggle.
Erin Riggle delivered an ace as the Cougars pounced to an 8-4 lead and timeout was called.
Berkeley Springs made a point after the break as Farris spiked the ball, but East Hardy responded with the same by SierraMarie Miller.
Gabby Miller served and the carom went spinning behind the referee on the stand where Farris made the save without being ruled out of bounds and the ball came back overhead, clearing the referee and net to land for a point as the Cougars defense was befuddled as to whether or not to play the ball.
Dyer made a set for Erin Riggle to get a kill, then Lily Riggle garnered an ace to put East Hardy up 11-6.
Gabby Miller made a dig save and Erin Riggle blocked a volley as the Cougars went up 14-7.
Shank served the ball and Jacobsen returned a volley finding a spot in the left corner for a point, then Riggle’s attack was met with a dig by Sydney Tuttle and deflected out of play, 16-10.
A block and save by Gabby Miller backfired as the ball cleared the net when Morris tapped it over again for an Indians point.
Both teams committed vice errors before Morris recorded another kill for a 19-14 score.
East Hardy scored two straight points on kills from SierraMarie Miller and Shank.
A couple of errors by the Cougars, plus a block by Jacobsen, closed the gap to 21-18.
An attack by Lily Riggle was met with a dig by Tuttle and Jacobsen hammered a spike,
Coming out of a timeout, SierraMarie Miller’s attack deflected off of Farris for a point and a serve by Miller was redirected out of bounds by Jacobsen.
The Cougars finished the second set with a kill by Riggle coming moments after a block by Jacobsen for a 25-20 score.
Berkeley Springs served into the net to start the third set and the attack by Jacobsen caromed to the ceiling off the hands of Miller.
Farris and Erin Riggle traded spikes as the Cougars tied the set at 2-all.
During the serve by Shank, Jacobsen’s volley was met on a dig by Dyer and Erin RIggle garnered a kill.
Gabby Miller made a dig and Shank saved a volley before Jacobsen’s next shot was returned into the net.
Gabby and SierraMarie Miller joined forces for a block on Berkeley Springs’ Jenna Tuttle, then Gabby Miller created a service point for a 7-6 Cougars lead.
A tap style spike for SierraMarie Miller was followed up by an ace served from Lily Riggle.
Kills from Berkeley Springs trio of Jacobsen, Farris and Morris helped to tie the set at 13-all.
Erin Riggle recorded a spike, then Shank made a dig and Miller took a pass from Riggle and the ball went awry on the swing.
A dig by Shank off an attack by Sullivan ended up in the net.
East Hardy regrouped as Erin Riggle launched an attack finding open territory in the back row, then Gabby Miller delivered two aces sandwiching a pair of spikes by SierraMarie Miller to boost the advantage to 19-15.
Lily Riggle made a dig and SierraMarie Miller set for Dyer to smash the ball, then Erin Riggle garnered a block to create match point at 24-17.
The Cougars finished the match on an ace delivered by SierraMarie Miller for a 25-17 third set final score and 3-nil match victory over Berkeley Springs.
East Hardy JV ousted Berkeley Springs in two sets 25-6 and 25-13.[/private]
The Cougars hosted Union on Tuesday evening and will return to action next week.
