It’s not often that a team can fall behind two sets to none in volleyball, yet scrap and claw all the way back to claim victory. Pendleton County can claim that accomplishment after its contest last week against the visitors from Tucker County.
The Mountain Lions won their first set against the Wildcats in quite a long time, earning a 25-16 victory.
Pendleton County pushed ahead to a 19-13 advantage after an ace by Colbie Wimer, but Tucker County responded with three straight scores broken by an Alyssa Bennett spike that set the score at 20-16. From that point, Tucker County outscored the host team seven to two, taking a 23-22 lead with an ace. Phoebe Pownell then popped up a set that Wimer drove into the other side with a spike to knot the score.
They battled again to a 25-25 tie after Alyssa Bennett blocked an attempt at the net, but Tucker County went on to take set two, 28-26.
Pendleton County took the floor in what could have been the elimination set. They high fived and got into position as loose as if they were up two sets instead of down.
Bennett sent the first serve across the net. Wimer fired it off the hands of a Mountain Lion player and watched it ricochet out of bounds for the first point. Wimer then set Azalea Waddell for a shot to the middle as Pendleton County shot out to a 5-1 advantage early. Tucker County responded with a spike to close the lead to 5-2.
Later, after Pownell set up another Wimer spike to make the lead 10-4, Ava Bowers took over the serve. During her service, the Wildcats scored twice. Callie Judy started a run when she took the serve with the score 13-5. Judy then took a Chesnee Colaw pass to set up Vaylee Harper for a spike. The Mountain Lions would only score once more in the set as the Wildcats shocked the visiting squad 25-6 in the third set.
The Mountain Lions let the Wildcats take the lead early in the fourth set. With the score tied at one, Colaw’s hustle saved a volley that ended with Bennett tapping the ball into the middle of the defense for a score. A Tia Heavner spike put the score at 3-1. Tucker County then outscored Pendleton County 14 to seven to seize a 15-10 advantage. The Wildcats got the serve back on a service error and put the ball into the hands of Pownell. Eight serves later, Pendleton County had an 18-16 lead. Two of Pownell’s serves caromed wildly off the wrists of defenders and Bowers picked up a spike as well.
Pendleton County’s defense kept distance between the two squads. On one play, Wimer received the ball, sent it to Pownell, who set Harper up for a scoring hit to the middle for a 21-17 lead. Heavner secured the 25-19 win with a block at the net.
The Wildcats had captured momentum going into the final set, but the Mountain Lions did not concede easily in the score-shortened set. They took an early 2-1 lead with a spike, but Bennett tied it up with a well-placed shot to the middle. Bowers gave her team the lead with a cross court spike.
Tucker County slowly ate away at the Wildcat lead. They pulled to within 9-7, but then Judy set up a Wimer spike. Tucker County followed that score with a four-to-one run to tie the game at 11. Wimer’s shot put her team up 12-11, but the Mountain Lions tied the game again. Pendleton County held the line, keeping Tucker from scoring the rest of the way. Pownell’s ace secured the win, 25-12.
Looking ahead, this week Pendleton County hosted Paw Paw on Tuesday night. Next comes tournament contests with Musselman, Jefferson, Spring Mills, and Hampshire on Friday and Washington, Martinsburg, Hedgesville, and Cabell Midland on Saturday.
Next week, the Wildcats travel Monday to Bath County in Virginia, and host Tygarts Valley on Tuesday.
