XENIA – Greenville defeated Xenia in three sets to start off their week. It was the second time that the two teams had met this season and the result was the same both times. The Lady Wave was smarting after ending last week with a defeat at the hands of undefeated and conference leading Tippecanoe. Here at the end of the season, every win will help bolster the seeding for the state tournament. The scoring was: 25-13, 25-8 and 25-19.
In the first two sets the Lady Wave seemed to do a very good job of dig, set, and spike. Their service kept the Lady Buccaneers off balance and helped keep them from getting into a rhythm. In the last set the Xenia turned tables on the Lady Wave and captured momentum. Greenville had to work hard and grind out a victory to get the last set.
“Xenia did not just bow down to us in the third set – they came right back at us,” said Greenville coach Michelle Hardesty. “They served a lot better. It forced us to play from behind early in the set.”
In the first set the Lady Wave grew a lead with Hunter Class and Annie Hayes getting some key early match kills. Abbie Yoder was the finisher as she got several kills late in the set as Greenville methodically put away the Lady Buccaneers.
In the second set the Lady Wave had some strong serves from Sarah Abell and Josi Worden. The team had a couple of strong runs – a 6-0 run with Abell serving and a 5-0 run with Worden serving. Emma Klosterman had several good blocks and kills early in the match. This allowed Greenville to open up a double digit 19-6 lead. Again, in final the stretch it was Yoder who made the last couple of kills to seal the win.
In the last set, the Wave might have relaxed a little or it was the Xenia who redoubled their efforts. But the Lady Wave had to fight back from behind. They were down 9-5 at one point. It was a grind it out set with Greenville finally tying the score at 19-all. Hunter Class got a kill to put the Wave in the lead and it was her turn to serve. Class held onto it the remainder of the set – even scoring an ace as the Lady Wave scored the next five points to seal the win.
“They played well,” Coach Hardesty stated. “They needed a boost of confidence after last week. We had a lot of girls do things right.”
“We have been struggling in some areas but they picked themselves up tonight,” continued Hardesty. “Ashley Strosnider did well for us tonight defensively. Josi Worden was on with her serves. We passed well tonight. It was a well-played game overall.”
Stats: Kills – Emma Klosterman, Hunter Class, Abbie Yoder 9; Annie Hayes 3. Service Ace – Josi Worden 3; Ashley Strosnider, Libby McKinney, Hunter Class 1. Blocks – Annie Hays 4, Abbie Yoder 3. Digs – Josi Worden 10, Ashley Strosnider 12, Libby McKinney 8. Assists – Libby McKinney 29.
