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Smoky Mountain rallies to down Tuscola in first match
Smoky Mountain came from behind to record a 25-20, 22-25, 24-26, 25-17, 15-7 season-opening volleyball win Aug. 22 at Tuscola.
Not only did the Lady Mustangs trail two games to one, but they also overcame an 18-10 deficit in the first game.
“We’re not near where we want to be,” said Ken Walker, who was a winner in his first game as coach. “We made some good plays, but then we would turn around and let a ball drop. We need to get mentally stronger.”
After splitting the first four games, the Lady Mustangs quickly took command in game five. Sarah Haggard served seven points, including an ace, and Amy Haggard had a pair of kills for an 8-0 lead. Tuscola cut the gap to 10-7, but Cassie Randall served the final four points.
The Lady Mountaineers jumped in front 18-10 in game one before Sarah Haggard’s serving brought SM back into contention. Her six points, including two aces, narrowed the deficit to 18-17. Amy Haggard served the last four points, including three straight aces.
Three points from Kelly Childress gave the Lady Mustangs a 4-3 edge in the second game. Tuscola pulled away from a 10-10 tie to take the lead for good at 20-12. Amy Haggard served five points, including an ace, and Brittany Gilbert added a kill as SM closed within 20-18 before the Lady Mounties sealed the win.
The Lady Mustangs led much of game three, but Tuscola went in front 22-19 after a 9-1 run. SM held off one game points before the Lady Mounties clinched it.
Facing elimination, the Lady Mustangs led throughout the fourth game. The tone was set when Megan Taylor served four points, including an ace, and Amy Haggard put down three kills for a 6-1 advantage. The same combination clicked again later in the game with Taylor serving five points and Haggard having two kills. Gilbert added a kill for a 19-13 lead. Childress served the last two points of the game, which ended on an ace.
Amy Haggard and Gilbert recorded 21 and 14 kills, respectively. Sarah Haggard handed out 31 assists.
Sarah Haggard was tops in service points with 16. She was followed by Amy Haggard with 15 and Taylor with 14.
Childress and Brittany Haskett were perfect on six and four serves, respectively. Sarah Haggard served 92.3 percent followed by Randall (91.7), Taylor (91.3) and Kelli Woodard- (90.9).
Team serving was 90.1 percent.
The Lady Mustang JVs had leads in both games, but Tuscola came back to win 25-22, 26-24.
“We came out looking good,” Coach Natasha Wilson said. “We just need some experience. We’ve got some leadership in our returning sophomores. I was really proud of the performance even though we came out with a loss.”
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