By Stephen Smoot
After a week of games against opponents big and small, the Wildcat volleyball team starts a run of games against both fierce regional rivals and some of the largest schools in the Eastern Panhandle.
Last week, the Moorefield Yellow Jackets brought some sting with their game against the host Wildcats. After winning their first two against Highland, Virginia, and Tygarts Valley without losing a set, the Wildcats fell to Buckhannon-Upshur.
Moorefield opened with the serve in the first set, but Pendleton County pulled out to a 4-1 lead. Two aces by Colbie Wimer set the table for the early advantage. Moorefield, however, battled back and came within one at 7-6. Then Chesnee Colaw received the ball, popping it up to Phoebe Pownell who in turn set up Wimer for a scoring strike.
That started a five to one run for the Wildcats, giving them room to work with the score 13-8. Moorefield scored an ace to close within 13-9, but the home squad outscored the Yellow Jackets during the remainder of the set by a score of 12 to two.
Pendleton County took the initial set 25-11.
Moorefield refused to let the big set-one setback deflate them and charged back hard in the next two sets. Set two opened like set one, with a 4-1 Pendleton lead early. Pownell scored an ace in the early run. The Wildcats enjoyed leads of 8-2, then 13-6.
Back came the visitors from Hardy County. They doubled up the Wildcats in a 12 to six run that brought them within one at 19-18. Moorefield established momentum with more aggressive play, taking more chances with sets and spikes. Success at the net put the Wildcats on their heels for a bit.
Callie Judy stepped in to serve with the score 20-18. She got Moorefield to hit it into the net to pick up a point, but then the visitors scored and took the serve back with the mark at 21-19. Moorefield then fired a serve off a defender’s hands for an ace and another chance to knot the game up.
Moorefield then scored two to tie up the contest at 22, but a key hit by Kinsley Price put the Wildcats on top again. A service error tied the game at 23, but Moorefield then gave the point back with their own serve into the net.
Up 24-23 with almost no margin for error, Pownell sent the serve across for game point. On the return, Colaw received the hit, sent it to Pownell, who then set up Alyssa Bennett for the set winning spike.
Moorefield lost the second set, but maintained momentum going into the third. Continually playing with aggression and pride, they seized that moment. There, they took control and upended the home squad 25-16, taking the game to a fourth set.
Pendleton County moved ahead in the fourth set, building a 14-8 advantage. Moorefield, however, went on a six to one run to cut the lead to one, 15-14.
Teamwork righted the Wildcat ship. Olivia Gonshor got the ball to Judy, who set up a Bennett spike, extending the lead to 16-14. Then Colaw sent a pass to Judy, who popped the ball up to Price for a scoring spike.
Pendleton County took over. Moorefield started making errors of fatigue and frustration as the home team put together a 23-15 lead after Pownell set up Tia Heavner for a soft tap to the middle. The Yellow Jackets went on a short run of four points to Pendleton County’s one, but a serve inches past the back line was game point for the winning set, 25-19.
A challenging early season slate has led to a 3-3 record. After the triumph against rival Moorefield, Pendleton County dropped matches to Class AAAA Martinsburg and Class AA Petersburg.
The schedule gets no easier going forward, with games set up against Pocahontas County, Musselman, Spring Mills, and Jefferson, as well as rival East Hardy. The schedule gets no easier going forward, with games set up against Pocahontas County, Musselman, Spring Mills, and Jefferson, as well as rival East Hardy.
Pendleton County traditionally schedules to challenge the squad more than rack up gaudy win totals. This strategy has served them well in the past, helping to prepare teams for state tournament action during the past several years.
The Wildcats will travel to Pocahontas County for a 6 p.m. match today.
