Last week was a big one for the Manchester Lady Greyhounds, who won four matches in a row, their first four wins of the season. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Junior setter Natalie Ragan is one of the key cogs in a North Adams volleyball machine that has produced a 16-1 record thus far this season. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
The local high school volleyball regular season is winding down and a pair of local squads had memorable weeks as the previously winless Manchester Lady Greyhounds reeled off four wins and the North Adams Lady Devils, though suffering their first loss, are still perfect in Southern Hills Athletic Conference play with two more conference wins.
First-year head coach Aaliyah Smith and her Manchester Lady Greyhounds went into last week with a season mark of 0-11 but turned that around quickly by reeling off four consecutive wins, two of them over county rival West Union. The two teams met in conference play on September 24 in the Hound Pound and it was a memorable night as Coach Smith got her first varsity victory as a head coach.
It took four sets but the Lady Hounds pulled off the win, 25-19, 16-25, 25-16, 25-16. Manchester picked up 31 kills in the win, led by sophomore Bristynn McClanahan with 10 and senior Rylie Young with 6. Young also had five service aces in her team’s first win. For West Union, junior Shelbi Weakley was strong at the net, leading both teams with a total of 14 kills. In her final game before undergoing knee surgery, senior setter Ashlah Staten dished out 34 assists.
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