Sports
Ace Nation: Bulldogs grab exciting four-set victory over Spartans
By: Grace Shipman
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The Athens Bulldogs hosted the Alexander Spartans in an epic rivalry match-up on Tuesday night. With back-and-forth volleys every set, Athens came out on top, winning the match in four sets and adding another important TVC win to their record.
The first quarter started off strong on both sides of the net as the Bulldog’s front row hit some killer balls to the Spartan’s defense. Athens’ Caitlyn Hayes had powerful cross-court hits, making it hard for Alexander’s defense to recover. The Spartans started to creep back in near the end of the set with Alexanders’ Meena Juedes leaving the bulldogs scrambling. After a timeout to regroup, the Bulldogs looked more fluid and took the first set 25 to 19 Athens.
Moving into the second set, Alexander knew they had to keep the court’s corners covered to stay in the game. Athens took a steady lead for most of the set, causing the Spartans to make unforced errors and struggle with communication. Alexa Reed helped add to the lead with three aces to keep Alexander at bay. The second set ended 25 to 8 in Athen’s favor.
Coming into the third set, Alexander needed huge plays to combat the last two sets. The Spartans’ blocks and kills helped them to gain momentum to overpower the Bulldogs. Alexander’s block touches at the net gave their defense time to make impressive plays. The Bulldogs tried ending the game in three sets, but Alexander managed to control the pace of the game and took the third set 25 to 18.
In the fourth set, both teams had plenty of intensity and encouragement from the fans on both sides of the gym. The Bulldogs took the first five points with Reed keeping the serve and the Spartans struggling to receive. Each point was earned by a hard rally and bodies hitting the court for some incredible digs. With both sides fighting for the rivalry win, there were multiple lead changes between the teams. The Bulldogs fought for every point and Mabel Monday was a key component for them late in the set. Both the Athens and Alexander coaches called two timeouts each to keep their team level-headed and focused on the next point.
Athens head coach Hailee Hart had some words of encouragement for her team during those timeouts, “I told them to calm down, have your feet stopped, be big at the net, and let the good plays happen because they’re going to happen”.
Both teams were tied 25 to 25 and forced to keep playing for the win. After a kill from Caitlyn Hayes the Bulldogs took the fourth set 28 to 25 and go the four-set win.
Tomorrow night Athens travels to play Vinton County and Alexander gears up to play Nelsonville York away in another intense match-up.