By Stephen Smoot
After two weeks of competing against mostly struggling programs, Petersburg offered a strong test to kick off the second half of the season. Last month, the Vikings capitalized on miscues in serving to defeat Pendleton County 3 games to 1.
Last Thursday, however, the Wildcats showed strong improvement and got revenge for the loss.
In the first game, Pendleton County took control early, racing out to a 13-4 lead behind excellent serving by Avery Townsend and Jenna Smith, who sent two aces. Arianna Young played strong at the net, racking up two spikes in the run.
Petersburg showed their resilience much of the night while mostly playing from behind. In game one, they went on a 17-5 run to take a 22-18 lead. Coach Rod Cooper said, “We didn’t play to the level that we’d like.” He noted that the Wildcats committed too many “unforced errors.” Cooper added, however, that “we were able to beat a good team.”
The Wildcats did not surrender, fighting back from a 23-19 deficit. Team defense featuring Elizabeth Alt sets and front line spikes, along with great serving by Allie Cooper and Young, earned the Wildcats a victory in the first game.
Petersburg established themselves early in the second game. With reliable serving and an aggressive approach to defense, the Vikings presented a mirror image of Pendleton County’s style. They used their strengths to push out to a 13-9 lead and held the Wildcats at arm’s length for the rest of the game, winning it 25-17.
The early scoring in the third game looked much like how the second played out. Petersburg set a slender lead, then worked to ward off the Wildcats and grab a 10-8 advantage. Pendleton County then went on a 7-4 run that set the tone for the rest of the contest. Alt’s serves, plus strong net defense by Young and Baylee Beachler led to four straight points. Gabrielle DePue, who had one of her strongest games of the season, also had a key return in the run.
This stretch broke momentum established by the Vikings in the previous game and they never really got it back.
Pendleton County showed a diversified attack that helped to keep Petersburg off balance. While still relying on the bread and butter of Alt setting up Young, she also sent more sets to Beachler, Kate Hedrick, and DePue.
Young also displayed the ability to not only hammer spikes, but also to loft the ball down the net over players rushing to defend against her. Alt also hit several returns herself to keep the defense from keying on her sets.
In game three, the Wildcats successfully held off the feisty Vikings. After allowing the Wildcats to take an 18-13 lead, Petersburg used strong serving to close the gap, although a run of Smith serves and great plays by Young kept the Wildcats in front. A Young spike served as the coda for the 25-21 win.
Game four saw Pendleton County return to their typical form as they worked to close out the Vikings. Serves by Smith helped the Wildcats go on a 6-0 run to build a 10-4 lead. Hedrick launched two key spikes during that run.
Petersburg started strong at the net in the first two games, outdueling Wildcat defenders. By game four, however, the Pendleton County front line asserted its dominance. Hedrick and Beachler blocked multiple attempts at spikes and returns. Beachler also nailed down the win with four straight serves to lift the Wildcats to a 25-17 game four win. Pendleton County won the match 3 games to 1.
With a strong performance against a solid team, Coach Cooper and the Wildcats have shown themselves a solid threat in the upcoming postseason. Cooper said “I’m really proud of my girls to be as motivated as they are and play as hard as they do.” He added, “they are a good bunch of kids.”
The Wildcats will travel to Union next Monday, then host Elkins at home on Oct 18.
