Mantachie overcomes a slow start to sweep Nettleton
Aug. 10—NETTLETON — The Mantachie Mustangs overcame an early deficit to sweep the Nettleton Tigers 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-18) in Thursday night volleyball action.
"We struggled getting the ball set right off the bat, but they played through it," Mantachie coach Kristi Montgomery said. "They came back really good the last two sets."
The Mustangs (4-0) fell behind 16-11 in the first set but used an 8-1 run to take a 19-17 lead and force a Nettleton timeout. After the break, Mantachie went on a 6-1 run capped off by a Ramsey Montgomery kill to win the set.
Montgomery is one of five seniors on the team who have played together since middle school. Over the years, the group — which also includes Makenzie Bryant, Hailee Spigner, Bailey Coker and Jaden Spradlin — has built a chemistry and trust that's been very valuable to the team.
"They play really well together and they have really started our season early showing a lot of leadership," Kristi Montgomery said. "They're showing a lot of responsibility to take over and help these younger kids that are on the floor."
Coker had four kills and five aces in the match. She felt that the seniors' ability to communicate and understand assignments paid off on Thursday.
"We're good at talking to each other and knowing where people are and who's covering what," Coker said.
Mantachie took a 19-5 lead in the second set. Nettleton rallied, but a serving error by the Tigers and a kill by Lillianna Cates helped the Mustangs go up 2-0. Cates led Mantachie with eight kills.
In the third set, the Mustangs used a 10-2 run to take a 19-8 lead. Nettleton responded with a 6-1 run, but eventually, an ace serve by Nelia Gardner sealed the match win.
Nettleton coach Farren Young felt that the Tigers (0-2) struggled to communicate on key plays.
"We had a bunch of balls that went out," she said. "We didn't have teammates communicating letting them know the ball was going out. We had a few people out of place."
Both teams return to action on Tuesday. Mantachie hosts Pine Grove and Nettleton hosts Hamilton.
