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Central Mountain defeats Williamsport in four sets in girls volleyball

By GARRETT CARR 4 min read

After cruising through the first two sets, Central Mountain found itself in unfamiliar territory after dropping the third set in dramatic fashion to Williamsport on Tuesday night in a crucial HAC matchup at the Magic Dome.

The Wildcats got back to what they do best, using terrific defense and tough serving to win the fourth set and the match, winning 3-1 (25-19, 25-18, 23-25, 25-19).

"We talked a lot between the third and the fourth about the fact that it's about how you react. So we really went into that fourth set with the goal of being loud, being positive and responding to what they were doing well," Central Mountain coach Jenna Schienke said. "A lot of that was figuring out how to move around their block. I think their block was one of the bigger ones we've seen this season, so really learning how to adjust and adapt to that was important for us."

Serve and serve receive was, arguably, the difference in the match and a big reason for success in those areas was the leadership and passing ability of junior libero Gracie Greico. She was everyone on Tuesday night and her energy and communication in the back row made an especially positive impact for the Wildcats.

"Gracie's great back there. She's scrappy, she's quick on her feat, always on her toes and ready to move. She's ready for a big swing or a tip. She moves around well, but she communicates. She runs the court, especially when we have different things going on," Schienke said. "She's ready to do what she needs to do. I mean, she's always communicating with the people around her, which really helps drive our team."

Quick starts were crucial for the Wildcats in the first two sets. After Williamsport took a 3-1 lead in the first set, Central Mountain responded in a big way, winning 14 of the next 16 points to go ahead, 15-5. They led 19-8 at one point, but the Millionaires fought to close the gap.

Ultimately, despite the lead dwindling down to five late in the set, the Wildcats were able to win the set, 25-19. They jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the second and when Williamsport responded to make it 14-11, Central Mountain quickly ran off five of the next six points to go up, 19-12, and captured the set, 25-18.

Central Mountain started to pull away in the third set after going on an 8-3 run following both teams being tied at 7-all, and looked close to putting the match away. But Williamsport rallied, tying the set at 20 and winning the race to five on a lock by Aubrey Holt to win the set, 25-23.

The two teams met in Saturday's HAC Tournament Final, a 25-15 one-set win for Central Mountain.

"They were able to overcome a lot of things today and continue to push through, and it definitely was more competitive," Williamsport coach Patti Jones said. "When we were down, they didn't give up. They didn't hang their heads. They kept their energy up the whole time, and that was amazing."

But Central Mountain re-established their dominance in the fourth set by getting back to great passing and serving. once again, they got out to an early lead at 12-8. Williamsport fought numerous times to get back in it, but a great swing from Sofia Kelly made it 16-11. Williamsport cut it to 18-16 at one point, but three straight points put the Wildcats ahead, 21-16, and they closed out the match to win, 25-19.

"Serve/pass is a big target at practice. It's something e work on every day, no matter what else is going on. Making serves is crucial when it comes to momentum, and it's something we didn't do great in that third set," Schiencke said. "We missed a few serves that we needed at some crucial times. So I think that's something we really look to hone in on and have at our best every game."

Central Mountain 3, Williamsport 1

(25-19, 25-18, 23-25, 25-19)

Williamsport kills: Ava Fischer 11, Pippy Kieser 7. Williamsport service points: Ava Fischer 17, Geiani Whaley 16. Williamsport assists: Libby Radspinner 12, Peyton Dincher 10. Williamsport digs: Kadence Smith 23, Pippy Kieser 13. Williamsport blocks: Aubrey Holt 2 solo/4 assists, E'gypt Ringkamp 2 solo/4 assists.

(Central Mountain statistics not available).

Starting at /week.