Grandview holds off Millsap in 5-set battle
Aug. 29—MILLSAP — The Millsap Lady Bulldogs volleyball team hosted a strong Grandview Lady Zebras squad Tuesday night and turned what could have been a sweep for the visitors into a thrilling and entertaining five-set battle.
After dropping the first two sets to Grandview, the Lady Bulldogs used a dominant performance in the third set and a gritty display in the fourth to tie the match at two sets apiece. In the end, though, strong serving and a more consistent attack from the Grandview offense propelled the Zebras to a five-set win over Millsap by a final score of 25-19, 25-17, 10-25, 23-25 and 15-6.
Grandview seemed poised for a win in straight sets as the road team had the momentum, but Millsap woke up in a big way in the third set.
"We weren't firing on all cylinders in the first two sets, if our passers weren't there our hitters were on and vice versa. It just took us getting into the third set to kind of settle down," Millsap head coach Kylie Serrato said. "This is only our second home game of the season, so I guess it was a lot of nerves, but their effort is always there. That's something I never have to question, which is something I'm always proud of them for. Going into a fifth set against a tough team like Grandview is something that is going to help us be a better team in the long run."
With their backs against the wall, the Lady Bulldogs turned a 7-5 lead into a 19-9 advantage in a matter of moments, capped off by a big kill from junior middle blocker Sayler Burkhall that forced Grandview head coach Jesilyn Hatch to use a timeout. However, the Lady Zebras could not stop the bleeding as a flurry of errors coupled with Millsap playmaking propelled the home team in the third.
The fourth set opened with a barrage of powerful kills from the likes of sophomore Curstin Trammell and junior Mackenzie Bonham. A few points later, a well-disguised tip and an ace on back-to-back plays from Millsap junior Morgan Kimbrell gave the home team a 14-8 lead. The Lady Zebras regrouped during a called timeout and used strong serves from senior setter Mackenzi Williamson to fuel an 8-0 scoring run as Grandview wrestled the lead back at 16-14.
Millsap was not done yet, though.
A few points later, Millsap senior setter Jolee Van Dyke showed her prowess from behind the service line with consecutive aces to tie the fourth set at 19-all. Two Grandview hitting errors on the next two points gave Millsap a 21-19 lead, which eventually grew to 23-19 after a kill from sophomore Ella Van Dyke. Grandview did close to within 24-22, but a hitting error by the road team sent the game to a fifth set.
In the decisive fifth set, Grandview forced the issue as it raced to a 5-0 lead, which forced Millsap head coach Kylie Serrato to call a timeout. However, the Grandview lead grew to 7-1 and forced Serrato to use her final timeout. Millsap could not get any closer than six points the rest of the way, though, as Grandview fought off a furious rally to secure the win in a game that went the distance.
"I try to schedule a really tough preseason for us, and Grandview is always a good matchup for us," Serrato said. "I feel like the girls did a good job of adjusting between the second and third sets and, even though it didn't go our way in the end, I feel like our block was really disciplined. We were able to step it up with our defense and we started out cold hitting the ball, but they really got things going later in the match. We did some really good things even though it's unfortunate for it to come down to the end the way it did."
The Lady Zebras will play again at 4:30 p.m. Friday at home against Malakoff while Millsap will try to bounce back at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Windhorst.
MILLSAP — The Millsap Lady Bulldogs volleyball team hosted a strong Grandview Lady Zebras squad Tuesday night and turned what could have been a sweep for the visitors into a thrilling and entertaining five-set battle.
After dropping the first two sets to Grandview, the Lady Bulldogs used a dominant performance in the third set and a gritty display in the fourth to tie the match at two sets apiece. In the end, though, strong serving and a more consistent attack from the Grandview offense propelled the Zebras to a five-set win over Millsap by a final score of 25-19, 25-17, 10-25, 23-25 and 15-6.
Grandview seemed poised for a win in straight sets as the road team had the momentum, but Millsap woke up in a big way in the third set. With their backs against the wall, the Lady Bulldogs turned a 7-5 lead into a 19-9 advantage in a matter of moments, capped off by a big kill from junior middle blocker Sayler Burkhall that forced Grandview head coach Jesilyn Hatch to use a timeout. However, the Lady Zebras could not stop the bleeding as a flurry of errors coupled with Millsap playmaking propelled the home team in the third.
The fourth set opened with a barrage of powerful kills from the likes of sophomore Curstin Trammell and junior Mackenzie Bonham. A few points later, a well-disguised tip and an ace on back-to-back plays from Millsap junior Morgan Kimbrell gave the home team a 14-8 lead. The Lady Zebras regrouped during a called timeout and used strong serves from senior setter Mackenzi Williamson to fuel an 8-0 scoring run as Grandview wrestled the lead back at 16-14.
Millsap was not done yet, though.
A few points later, Millsap senior setter Jolee Van Dyke showed her prowess from behind the service line with consecutive aces to tie the fourth set at 19-all. Two Grandview hitting errors on the next two points gave Millsap a 21-19 lead, which eventually grew to 23-19 after a kill from sophomore Ella Van Dyke. Grandview did close to within 24-22, but a hitting error by the road team sent the game to a fifth set.
In the decisive fifth set, Grandview forced the issue as it raced to a 5-0 lead, which forced Millsap head coach Kylie Serrato to call a timeout. However, the Grandview lead grew to 7-1 and forced Serrato to use her final timeout. Millsap could not get any closer than six points the rest of the way, though, as Grandview fought off a furious rally to secure the win in a game that went the distance.
The Lady Zebras will play again at 4:30 p.m. Friday at home against Malakoff while Millsap will try to bounce back at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Windhorst.
