By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
“grasping defeat from the jaws of victory”. That phrase certainly describes the fate of the Manchester Lady Greyhounds varsity volleyball squad as they hosted the Portsmouth Clay Lady Panthers in the Hound Pound on Saturday, August 26. Leading the match two sets to one and leading the fourth set 24-27, the Lady Hounds were just a point away from winning their first match of the season, but that was not the way it went. The Lady Panthers pulled off a miraculous comeback to steal that fourth set and then took the fifth set to shock the Lady Hounds and their fans and pull off the improbable victory.
The Lady Hounds fell behind early in the first set but rallied behind the service strength of sophomore Kenidee Turner to grab a 10-6 advantage. Clay bounced back to reclaim the lead and then the back and forth began on the scoreboard. A match that saw 28 separate ties and lead changes plus a combined 25 service errors, saw those trends begin as not team led by more than two points until the Lady Hounds claimed the final two points of the set, aided by an Abby Lucas service ace, to win the first set 25-23.
The second set of the match was much of the same between two evenly-matched squads, marked by 11 ties and lead changes. Nobody could pull away with the Lady Hounds hanging in behind a Bristynn McClanahan block and a Lucas ace. Tied at 23, the Lady panther managed two points in succession to even the match at one apiece with a matching 25-23 win.
In the third set, Clay took 13-6 advantage and later led 17-12 when the Lady Hounds found a spark. a quartet of Rylie Young service points tied the score at 17 and after Clay got the next side out, Manchester got it right back and sent junior Jaylise Applegate back to the service line and she came through in a big way, serving out the final seven points of the set for a 25-18 win and a 2-1 lead in sets for the home side.
The Lady Hounds looked like they were on their way to winning the match as they controlled the fourth set, leading at various intervals, 13-8, 19-13, and then just a single point form winning the match at 24-17 after a Jaylise Applegate kill. But then the proverbial roof caved in and all the momentum suddenly shifted the way of the visitors. The Lady Panthers served out seven consecutive points to tie the set at 24 apiece and thought eh Lady Hounds got the next side out to again put them one point from winning the match, Clay got the final three to pull of the what seemed impossible 27-25 win to set up a decisive fifth set.
The numbing loss in set four seemed to deflate the Manchester spirit as the Lady Panthers raced to a 5-0 lead in the fifth. Though the Lady Hounds managed some scores, getting another McClanahan kill and a service ace from the freshman plus a pair of Madison Dunn service points, the outcome was never really in doubt as Clay held on for the clinching 15-9 triumph.
The loss dropped the Lady Hounds to 0-2 on the young season and were back on the court on Tuesday, August 29 with a road trip to Fairfield for a Southern Hills Athletic Conference match up. After a few days off, the Lady Hounds will travel to Paint Valley for an 11 a.m. non-conference battle on Saturday, September 2.