An 8-1 spurt in the fifth game propelled Pender to a 3-2 Four County Conference victory at West Bladen Tuesday night by game scores of 25-21, 14-25, 25-17, 24-26 and 15-13.
Junior Logan Autry opened the deciding fifth game with 3 straight service points, and teammate Morgan Schumacher fired in two more service points as the Lady Knights built a 6-2 lead, before the Pender run gave the visitors a 10-7 lead.
Autry pushed in a winner, and junior Kathryn Schultz’s service point pulled West to within 11-10. A Schumacher block produced an Autry service point that narrowed the gap to 14-13, before Pender cracked a winning kill into the far left corner on match point.
Pender had led 23-18 in Game 4, but junior Laikyn Pait blistered the court with a pair of aces during a run of 5 straight service points that edged the Lady Knights ahead 24-23.
The Lady Patriots tied the game 24-24, but Schumacher pushed across a winner, and a Schultz back-tap dropped just inside the sideline on game point.
Pait poured in 17 service points, 3 aces and 2 kills to lead West Bladen. Schumacher slammed in 13 service points, 5 kills, 2 aces and a block.
Autry lit up the scoreboard with 10 service points, 14 assists, 7 kills and an ace. Junior Kassidy Anderson racked up 4 service points, 4 kills and 4 digs.
Senior Lorna Smith fired in 5 kills and 5 service points, and Schultz contributed 4 service points, 3 kills and 2 digs.
Schumacher reeled off 5 straight service points as West Bladen grabbed a 7-4 lead in Game 1. Anderson smacked in a kill and a service point to keep the margin at 9-6.
An 8-1 run vaulted the visitors in front 20-12, before a trio of Anderson service points aided by kills from Schultz and Smith sliced the lead to 22-19.
Pait belted in a kill and a service point to narrow the gap to 23-21, before Pender took the game with the next 2 points.
Pait tipped in a winner, and Smith delivered 4 straight service points to put West in front 6-3 in Game 2. An Anderson kill and 5 consecutive service points by Schumacher stretched the lead to 13-5.
Two service points each from Autry and Schultz kept the West lead at 20-11. A Schumacher kill and a Smith service point made it 22-12, before Pait served out the game with a Schumacher block securing game point.
Pender took leads of 5-1, 12-6 and 16-10 in Game 3, before a trio of Pait service points brought West to within 16-13. Smith knocked in a pair of kills that kept the margin at 19-16, but a 6-1 Pender burst closed out the game.
Six consecutive service points by Pait staked West Bladen to a 10-7 lead in Game 4. A Schultz kill and a Schumacher service winner pushed the Lady Knight lead to 13-9. A 14-5 Pender rally put the visitors on top 23-18.
The Lady Knights, now 1-2 in league play and 5-4 overall, will travel to Clinton Thursday.
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