By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

VERSAILLES — It was a close one at Versailles schools. The Lady Tigers volleyball team had a 2-0 match lead over Anna after the first two sets. But, the Lady Rockets fought back to force a fifth set. Despite being down early, Versailles came out with a five-set win over Anna on Aug. 22.

Head coach Liz McNeilan said they talked in the locker room before the match how Anna is a scrappy team. She told her team they needed to keep their foot on the gas pedal.

But in this one, they encountered some bumps on the road. They were able to dig deep and get back on track in the fifth set.

“We have a lot of young, first timers on that court right now. Our focus is learning those little things and knowing how important they are and overcoming those obstacles when they happen,” McNeilan said.

Versailles took the first set 25-22. Versailles had a 23-18 lead late before Anna went on a bit of a run to make it interesting. But the Lady Tigers shut the door on them for the set win.

They carried that momentum and grabbed the lead early and didn’t give it up. They went on to win 25-18 in the second set to set up a sweep possibility.

But then in the third set, Anna grabbed the early lead. The Lady Rockets held on to the lead for a majority of the set.

Versailles fought back late and grabbed a 23-22 lead. But after an Anna timeout, the Lady Rockets scored three straight to force a fourth set.

In the fourth set, Anna again went out to an early lead and held on for a 25-19 set win. Versailles made it a bit interesting late as they cut the lead, 21-16, and forced an Anna timeout. But, Anna kept their cool to force the fifth set.

In the fifth set, a few key players stepped up for Versailles to help them grab a win. McNeilan said Brooke Briscoe was an animal on the back line and has a quiet confidence too her that the team feeds on.

During the fifth set, senior Mia Eversole had a great dig to help set up a point for Versailles. McNeilan said that dig and the plays being made by her players helped get some momentum going their way. From that point, they were able to lock in and focus at the task at hand.

“Especially in high school ball, momentum and energy are such a carrier in helping you feel that confidence and feeding off that confidence. Then you can worry about those more technical things,” McNeilan said.

After falling behind early, Versailles fought back to take a 9-8 lead and won the fifth set 15-12.

Freshmen Kiley May had 16 kills in the game as she also played a key part in helping the team get this win. McNeilan said the offense is more scattered and spread out this season as they have many options to go to.

It’s going to take some time for the team to adjust to their new roles. They all have the capability to contribute when their number is called.

“We got a lot of girls that can be aggressive. A lot of them aren’t used to having to step up and expecting that ball all the time. When you lose that talented class we had, it’s going to take a little bit. (It’s going to take) a lot of learning and analyzing play after play and talking,” McNeilan said.

Versailles will next host Russia on Aug. 26 for their next game. The junior varsity B team will start at 9 a.m. with JV and then varsity following.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]