Unioto volleyball stems late rally by Adena, takes control of first place in SVC standings
CHILLICOTHE − As Unioto called a timeout late in the fifth set of its match against Adena, coach Jim Hutton reminded his players that they only needed one more point.
The Shermans had held the lead for the entire fifth set. They'd broken out on an initial 8-1 run, and they'd forced set point before the Warriors had cracked the 10-point mark. But the Warriors had built back up with a 5-0 run of their own heading into the timeout, and pressure began to mount.
Hutton used the break to steel his players' nerves. All they needed was a simple reminder.
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"You get such a big lead and you're way ahead, the girls play not to lose," Hutton said. "I think that was the issue. I told them, 'You only need one point.' Sometimes that one point is hard to get."
The break worked wonders. The Shermans stemmed an eventual seven-point rally by the Warriors and claimed set five to punch in a 10-25, 25-19, 25-22, 26-28, 16-14 win at Unioto High School on Tuesday night.
The Shermans were in too deep to back down. They'd jumped ahead early after taking the second and third sets behind respective 8-1 and 5-1 runs. Adena worked with scoring runs of its own, including a 4-1 run early in the fourth set that kept Unioto on the backfoot. Despite a late 6-1 rally, punctuated by a pair of kills from Abbie Marshall that forced a 24-24 tie, Adena found enough breathing room to force set five.
Marshall tied with Ella Cutright with a team-high 14 kills. She didn't slow down after the fourth set, either. The senior put up three kills to fuel the Shermans' 8-1 start to the fifth set. The senior wanted to prove herself. When Unioto last faced Adena back in late August, Marshall hadn't performed up to her own standards. Tuesday was her chance to rebound from that performance.
"Last time we played Adena, I did not play my best game at all, so I knew coming in today that I needed to prove myself to my coaches that I'm capable of doing what I'm put out there to do," Marshall said. "I was really trying to run some quick sets, trying to get up in the air before the other team's blockers were, so that worked a lot for us. When I was getting blocked, my defense just played really well covering for me."
With a second win over Adena under its belt, Unioto now stands alone atop the Scioto Valley Conference standings. Five conference matches remain in the season, but Unioto isn't resting on its laurels yet. Each match might mean a potential upset, and it's prepared to defend its position at the top.
"We know our goal," Marshall said. "We want to win the league, so we're not taking anyone lightly."
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Unioto stems late Adena rally, takes control of first place in SVC
