JAMESTOWN — A fiery second set between Greeneview and Xenia turned into an emotional roller coaster for both sides.
The Rams won a home non-conference battle Monday between the two teams 25-13, 33-31, 25-23, and yes, that second set score is correct.
Neither team was able to take more than a two-point lead, which started out with Xenia gaining the first two points. Greeneview gained a lead after it was tied at 7, and Xenia briefly went back ahead at 15-14.
The Rams maintained a lead directly after as neither side could hold service for more than two points at a time. Xenia fought off two set points at 24-22, and continued to do so until the Bucs gained a 28-27 lead. Greeneview won a long rally and went on to continue applying the pressure on Xenia after until they finally broke down.
“That’s when you rely on your upperclassmen because they’re seasoned,” Greeneview head coach Jan Tobe said. “They’ve been through it before. I saw one of our players during a timeout and I thought I could see her heartbeat through her chest. She was nervous. But it was the captains that kept her under control, and that makes all the difference in the world.”
Greeneview won the opening set using three service rallies of at least four straight points won, and built a healthy lead again in the third set following the emotional high the second set brought.
At the end of the match, Xenia needed to find a way to fight off six straight match points to stay alive. Behind the serve of Kenzie Schubert, it was only able to do so five times.
“With the way that second set became that intense, it showed a glimmer of the team we can be,” Xenia head coach Jessica Threats said. “Continuing to fight when we can, but I think they were a bit deflated after that set. But we still fought back again. They just have to keep it in perspective that it literally is a point by point game.”
Eva Moore lead Greeneview with seven kills in the match, while Ally Truman and Gracie Bone both had four. Eryn Gardner made six digs, and Bone added four. Moore also had three blocks.
“They’re starting to play together,” Tobe said of her team’s improvement. “Early last week we started clicking more and I could see we’re definitely playing together. And today it was our captains keeping the underclassmen really calm, because that game could have been crazy.”
Tobe also said bundling the win against Xenia along with another victory on Saturday at Springfield provides confidence for her team to defeat schools from the bigger divisions.
“It’s really a big deal,” she said. “Our conference as a whole is tough, and if you can go out of it and still beat these other schools, it just gives more confidence we can take to finish our league play.”
