By Stephen Smoot
Just over six weeks ago, Keyser’s volleyball team arrived in Franklin. They brought athleticism and determination to upset the Single A powerhouse, but their execution fell flat in the attempt.
Six weeks later, both teams have shown signs of improvement, but followed the same script as before.
The first Keyser serve went errant, giving control of the ball to Pendleton County’s Alyssa Bennett, who scored an ace and gave her team an early 2-0 lead in the first set. Baylee Beachler soon after made a play at the net to push her team’s lead to 4-2. Clara Raines then took the serve for the Wildcats. After her first delivery, Breena Bowers set up an Avery Townsend shot to the middle that extended the lead to 5-2.
Keyser then outscored Pendleton County 10 to six to take a 12-11 lead over the visitors. There, the Wildcats dug in. Emma Hartman dove to the floor to keep the ball alive on the next volley. Lizzie Alt rewarded her effort with a hit to the visitor’s end sideline to tie the contest.
\Through the rest of the set, Keyser showed why “pride” is its trademark. Pendleton County would make a play to take the lead, but the Golden Tornadoes would storm back and tie, or at least keep the score close. On one play, Bowers fielded a hit, popping it up to Emily Poling, who in her turn set the ball up for Bennett to spike it to the back line for a 17-15 lead. Keyser responded by scoring three of the next four to tie the set at 18.
On the next play, Brynlynn Waggy provided a perfect set for Bennett. She took it and fired a hard spike at Keyser’s side, glancing off of two consecutive players’ hands before flying out of bounds and giving the visitors a narrow advantage. Bennett followed up that play with an ace that gave the Wildcats a 20-18 lead.
Keyser came back, taking a 21-20 lead, but giving it up on the next volley to an aggressive Alt spike. Shortly thereafter, with the score knotted at 25, Alt fielded a shot, sending it to Waggy, who set up Beachler for another well-placed hit to the middle. Pendleton County ended the first set when Bowers fielded a drive, giving it up to Waggy, who set up Bennett for a shot to the back right corner and a 27-25 first set win.
Pendleton County showed up in force for the second set, although this time Keyser seized the early 5-2 advantage. A combination of Golden Tornado errors and deft Alt plays quickly brought the teams into a 6-6 tie.
After the game hit a 7-7 score, the Wildcats outscored Keyser 10 to three. Hartman played a key role in building the big lead. Along with Beachler, they executed a wall block to set the tally at 9-7. Shortly after, Hartman gave her team its 11th point with a line drive ace. On her next serve, she dove to the court to pop a ball up to Waggy, who then set up a Beachler spike for an 11-9 lead.
Pendleton County eventually extended their lead to 23-11. Two line drive aces on Bowers serves helped the cause during that run. Keyser scored points at the end, but a Callie Judy serve that ended in a wall block by Townsend and Alt sealed the set for Pendleton County.
Keyser roared back in the final set, taking a quick 12-5 lead, and battling hard for every point thereafter. When the Wildcats hit the seven-point deficit, Townsend fired an ace that hit nothing but floor. After her squad scored again by hitting it to the visitor sideline, Townsend scored another ace.
Pendleton County pulled to within three as Beachler and Bennett elevated to block a return.
Then Townsend scored another ace.
Beachler’s spike pulled her team to within one at 12-11.
Then Townsend scored two more aces in a row for a 13-12 Wildcat lead, their first in the set since being up 1-0.
The Golden Tornadoes, not done yet, score five consecutive points to pull ahead 17-13, but Bowers punched the ball through the defense to pick up the point and get her team the serve back. The Wildcats whittled away at the Keyser lead, getting the best results when successfully aiming both serves and returns at the visitor sideline on the Golden Tornado side.
Keyser took a 20-17 lead late on an ace, but a Beachler spike cut into it immediately. Keyser returned the favor, spiking the ball to take a 21-19 lead, but a precise Alt tap to the middle made the deficit one again.
An error put Keyser up again 22-20, but from that point the Wildcats took control. Townsend placed a shot to score the next point, followed by another Wildcat score when Keyser spiked the ball out of bounds. Alt then fired a serve off of a defender’s hands that ricocheted into the crowd.
The set and game ended when Hartman fired down a spike. Pendleton County took the set 25-*22 and the game three to nothing.
