By John Clark
ELIZABETHTOWN –After dropping the opening set, West Bladen battled back to defeat East Bladen 3-1 Thursday night by set scores of 10-25, 25-20, 28-26 and 25-22 in non-conference volleyball action.
East Bladen closed out the 1st set with a 16-3 run that turned a 9-7 lead into a 25-10 win. Two service points each from junior Mollie Tolar and senior Molly Evans started the run. Juniors Miriam DeVane and Iveonna “NeNe” Ward reeled off service runs of 4 points each. DeVane, senior Dyiamon Robinson and junior Mary Frances Sutton knocked in winners during the spurt.
Freshman Greer Pope rallied the Lady Knights to an 11-6 lead in the 2nd set with a 6-point service run. Senior Jenna McLean’s kill ignited a 5-point service run by senior Kiera Lewis that stretched the West lead to 18-9.
East answered with a 6-point service run from Evans that featured a trio of kills by DeVane and whittled the lead to 19-17. Pope tallied a pair of service points, and a block by Kiera Lewis pushed the lead to 24-19 as West evened the match 1-1.
Neither team led by more than 2 points in the 3rd set until a trio of Sutton service points put East up 15-10. Pope responded with 6 straight service points that vaulted West back on top 17-15. Robinson and Tolar banged in kills and service points as East tied the set 19-19.
A Keira Lewis service run of 4 straight points put the Lady Knights up 24-20, before DeVane drilled in 3 service points and a back-row attack for a 25-24 East lead. McLean’s winning return tied the set, and senior Maddie Walters served out the set aided by a Keira Lewis kill.
Keira Lewis delivered a kill and a trio of service points as West built a 12-6 lead in the final set. A pair of service points by sophomore Natalee Sykes boosted the margin to 15-7. Back came the Lady Eagles with a pair of kills and a service winner from DeVane, 2 service points from Ward, and a block and 2 service points from Robinson that knotted the set 19-19.
McLean dropped in a pair of service points as West went up 24-21, before Pope spiked in a winner on match point.
Keira Lewis keyed the West offense with 9 kills, 2 blocks, 11 service points that included 2 aces and 25 attacks. Pope racked up 15 service points that included 5 aces, 5 assists, a kill and 8 attacks. McLean contributed 5 kills, 2 digs, 3 aces, 3 other service points and 17 attacks.
Maddie Walters slammed in 4 kills, 3 service points and had 17 attacks. Sykes added 3 service points, 1 assist, a kill and 3 attacks. Meares knocked in 4 service points that included 2 aces, a kill and had 8 attacks. Sophomore Emmee Bryant collected 2 digs, a kill and had 2 attacks. Junior Alina Chavez had 3 attacks, and junior Marlene Crabtree had 2 attacks.
Devane sparked the Lady Eagles with 14 service points, an ace and 13 kills. Ward hammered in 6 kills, 9 service points, a block and an ace. Evans swatted in 9 service points, an ace, a kill and a pair of return winners. Sutton fired in 4 service points and 3 kills.
Robinson pounded in 3 kills, 3 blocks and 6 service points. Tolar banged in 4 kills and 3 service points. Junior Martha Simmons had a kill and a service point, and senior Zoe Smith added a winning return.
Coach Gaye Davis’ Lady Knights improved to 2-1and will host Heide Trask Monday night. The Lady Eagles are now 1-1 and will travel to Wallace-Rose Hill Tuesday at 5 p.m.
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