(PHOTO RENEA KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
BBC SHOWDOWN … Hilltop’s Libbie Baker (left) tries to tip the the ball over the top of Pettisville’s Olivia Miller in last week’s battle for first place in the BBC. GAME STORY INSIDE SPORTS. VIEW 127 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
BALL HANDLING … Pettisville setter Grace Hastings makes a pass in in the Blackbirds five-set win over Hilltop
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
PETTISVILLE (October 3, 2024) – The Lady Blackbirds held off a surging Hilltop Cadets squad to take the win three sets to two at home Thursday evening.
Pettisville started strong with a four-point run courtesy of two kills by senior Olivia Miller and two spikes by junior Naomi Richer.
The Cadets didn’t take it lying down, coming back with their own run of three including a kill from junior Hayden JoHantgen and what would come to be a recurring theme throughout the matchup of senior Libbie Baker tipping the ball over the net when the Blackbirds were expecting a spike, scoring a kill.
A spike from Miller was followed by a serve error, and another surprise tip over by Baker tied the set at five. An attempted spike by Baker blocked by the Blackbirds was followed up by another Baker tip over kill to tie it at six, the first point in a five-point run by Hilltop.
That run included an error and an unreturned serve by Pettisville, an ace by Baker, and a Blackbirds spike that went out of bounds.
A pair of points from Pettisville were matched by two from the Cadets, both coming by kills from junior Brynn Rodriguez, bringing the score to 12-8, Hilltop.
A serve error and an unreturned Blackbird serve were followed by a point for the Cadets, and after another Hilltop serve error and Pettisville kill tied the set at 14.
After another two points for Pettisville and one for Hilltop, the Blackbirds went on a five-point run including a kill and an ace from Richer as well as kills by senior Miley Harris and junior Macy Hoylman to put Pettisville up 21-15.
The Cadets fought back with a pair of three- and four-point runs including two kills from Baker and a pair of unreturned serves, interrupted by a single Blackbird kill from Harris, to tie the set at 22.
Pettisville was able to close out the first set at a close 25-22 with a final run of three which included another two Harris kills.
The second set was neck and neck, with the rivals tying at every point up to six and again at nine, running up to 10-9 Hilltop with the inclusion of another four surprise tips over the net – three from Baker and one from Rodriguez – and Blackbird kills by junior Grace Hastings, Miller, junior Courtney Wiemken, and Richer.
Another pair of points for both teams including another tip over by Baker and kill by Richer tied the set at 11.
Three more points for Hilltop and one for Pettisville put the Cadets up two at 14-12 before the Blackbirds went on a massive nine-point run including errors from Hilltop, blocks by the Blackbirds, and one point that came when Harris was able to reach over the net to swat the ball back down. The run left the Blackbirds up 21-14.
Despite a later four-point run of their own, the Cadets were unable to recover and Pettisville took the set 25-19 and a lead of two sets to none.
Determined to dish out a similar loss to the Blackbirds, the Cadets went on a string of runs, with two three-point, one four-point, and one six-point run to go up 16-8 by taking advantage of several Pettisville errors, more tips over the net by Baker and Rodriguez, and a pair of spikes by Rodriguez. Blackbird kills came courtesy of Harris and Miller.
Each team traded shots throughout the remainder with points scored due to confusion over who was going to hit the ball next on both sides, but Pettisville was unable to recover from the deficit, handing Hilltop the set, 25-17.
Now picking up steam, the cadets rolled to a 15-6 lead quickly in the fourth set, largely through a five-point run and a six-point run which included four unreturned serves, multiple Pettisville errors, and another tip over by Rodriguez.
More back-and-forth scoring ensued for the remainder of the set, and again the Blackbirds were unable to overcome the large deficit. The Cadets took the set 25-15.
With a now-tied game at two sets apiece, neither team was ready to give in, and the final set saw ties at one, two, three, five, and six, before Pettisville went on a five-point run including kills from Wiemken and Richer.
The Cadets managed two more points on an error and a spike from Baker, but a final four-point Pettisville run including a kill from Richer as the Blackbirds closed out the set 15-8 and the overall victory.
Pettisville d. Hilltop 25-22, 25-19, 17-25, 14-25, 15-8
HILLTOP (17-3, 4-1 BBC): Elena Van Arsdalen – 77/77 setting, 20 assists; Hayden JoHantgen – 43/43 setting, 14 assists; Brynn Rodriguez – 56/59 hitting, 22 kills, 4 solo blocks; Libbie Baker – 20/23 serving, 5 aces, 13 digs, 65/68 hitting 23 kills, 3 solo blocks; Kelsy Connolly – 22/24 serving, 4 aces
PETTISVILLE (17-3, 5-0 BBC): Naomi Richer – 58/65 hitting, 26 kills, 18/19 serving, 2 aces, 19 digs; Miley Harris – 35/42 hitting, 13 kills; Grace Hastings – 17/20 serving, 3 aces, 19 digs, 51 assists; Becca Strauss – 24 digs
JUNIOR VARSITY: Hilltop, 25-23, 27-25
