Boyd goes distance to top Russell
Sep. 17—RUSSELL — Russell took only the third set Boyd County has surrendered all year to tie their match at one apiece on Thursday night.
Then the Red Devils extended the Lions to five sets for the first time this season.
Boyd County had a big answer both times.
The Lions' first response: a 17-4 start in the third — which included six Emma Sparks aces in a span of nine points — to regain control.
Boyd County didn't keep it, though, as the Red Devils won the fourth set to force a fifth.
The Lions were fine with that — it made Thursday interesting and prepared them for down the road, they hope.
"It's exciting. I play volleyball for things like that," Sparks said. "It's hard and you're stressed out in the moment, but then after, it feels so good, when you win games like this."
Boyd County countered with the first three points of the final set and led the rest of the way to claim it and the match, 3-2 (25-16, 18-25, 25-15, 21-25, 15-7) in Marvin Meredith Gym.
Taylor Bartrum recorded 14 kills and Morgan Lewis chipped in 12, including match point, in unofficial statistics for the Lions (12-1, with the lone loss a COVID-19 forfeit).
Boyd County's Audrey Biggs had seven kills and five blocks and Sparks produced five kills, six aces and five blocks.
Christin Corey delivered a match-high 15 kills and five blocks for the Red Devils (7-3). Sadie Hill added eight kills.
Having just evened the match at a set apiece, Russell scored the first point in the third set, but Sparks produced two blocks on the same point, the second finding hardwood, and Bartrum added an ace before a Lions point that included hustle plays from Bartrum and Carly Mullins.
Layla Brown scored on a free ball, and from there, it was in Sparks's hands.
Sparks rattled off ace after ace. By the time her serve was over, Boyd County led 14-2 and owned the match's momentum.
Sparks has had some serving struggles of late, she said. Lions coach Katee Neltner and Sparks had had what the skipper termed "a serious chat" about the matter.
"(Boyd County assistant coach) Jamie (Clark) on the bench told me, you just gotta have confidence," Sparks said. "I was like, oh yeah, because a lot of times I get super anxious, and I can't be like that. I gotta have confidence in my skill. I just gotta put it in play."
Concurred Neltner: "Emma is a super-talented player in every aspect of this game. Serving, I would say, is probably her weakest. ... Emma is all head, she is an intelligent player, she plays hard, so she has to address her errors before she can do anything. She has to actually process them, so we had a discussion about serving.
"You put up a challenge and all of a sudden, she pulls up big for us."
It exposed an uncharacteristic struggle for the Red Devils in serve-receive, coach Kacie Christian-Mullins said.
"It's kind of a mental game," Russell's first-year coach said. "I don't think it was quite there where I wanted it to be tonight, but we'll do better next time."
The Red Devils regardless claimed the fourth set, breaking a 14-all tie on Carmin Corey's kill, three consecutive Lions miscues and Hill's kill. Christin Corey finished it off with a kill to force a fifth set.
Christin Corey at one point briefly came up gingerly but stayed in the game and continued to produce as Russell rallied.
"I think Mallory Allen went over to her and told her, she's not hurt, and just kinda made her stick in there," Christian-Mullins said with a chuckle. "I think she's all right. Just scared her a little bit."
The Lions tallied the first three points of the deciding set on a trio of Red Devils errors and closed it out on a 4-0 burst, capped by Lewis's kill to end it.
Boyd County won the first set by scoring the final four points, concluding with Bartrum's kill. Four Lions produced at least two kills in that set, led by Bartrum's five.
Russell got even in the second, rallying from a 12-10 deficit to lead 17-15 before bringing it home with an 8-3 closing kick. Consecutive Christin Corey kills clinched it.
The exchange of sets got Boyd County's attention, which pleased Neltner.
"That first set, we were cocky. We had an ego," Neltner said. "I think sometimes we need that second set, or games like the second set, to bring you back down and say you are not untouchable and you better play your hardest."
It was Boyd County's first win over Russell since Sept. 23, 2017, ending a six-match skid in the series that included Russell's instant-classic five-set victory in last year's region tournament semifinals.
"It's huge for the program; it's huge for these girls; it's a confidence-booster," Neltner said.
The teams are scheduled to meet again Oct. 7 in Cannonsburg in what figures to be another highly anticipated encounter.
"It's really about seeing where each other is at at this point of the season," Christian-Mullins said. "We know where we're at, and we have a lot of work to do."
(606) 326-2658 — zklemme@dailyindependent.com
