Patriots defeat Eagles in five for first place tie

CLINTONVILLE | Leading 13-8 in game three with a 2-0 (25-23, 25-17) match lead, head coach Peggy McCallister said the AuSable Valley varsity volleyball team looked at the finish line too soon. Their April 26 opponent, the Beekmantown Eagles, rallied for a 29-27 game win and took the fourth, 25-17, setting up a fifth game. The Patriots regained their composure in the decisive game, scoring a 25-23 win and creating a three-way tie atop the CVAC volleyball standing between them, the Eagles and Peru. "Our confidence was high and we got in our heads, that is when we started making mistakes and couldn't regroup and just couldn't pull ourselves out of it in time," said McCallister of the third and fourth games. "They needed to stay mentally strong and play the sure thing. We made lots of mistakes and had plenty of ups and downs throughout the game. Communication has been a struggle for us, but when we communicate early we play well." For the match, the two teams were only separated by the final two points of the contest, with the Patriots scoring 119 points to Beekmantown's 117. Fifth game Beekmantown started with the service for the final game, but a block and ace from Isabella Joy gave the Patriots a 2-0 lead. At 10-6, the Patriots scored the next four points to take a 14-6 lead, holding the lead until 23-18, when the Eagles scored the next five points with two kills from Ella Repas and one from Brooke Ruest. With the game tied, The Eagles were unable to get the ball over the net in three hits, giving the Patriots a side out and a 24-23 lead. On the next serve, the Patriots were able to dig the ball, leading to an Abby Sawyer kill for the game and match-winning point. Team effort "Abby played tremendously and lead us offensively throughout the game," McCallister of Sawyer, who finished with 20 kills and 10 digs. "She played smart, mixed it up with tips/hits, and read the court." Joy came up with a big fifth game for the Patriots, hitting for four kills and a pair of aces, while also scoring points on a pair of blocks as she finished the game with 12 kills, 15 digs, and the two blocks. "Isabella Joy made some huge plays for us at the right time to help shift the momentum our way," said McCallister. Lexie Prins added 10 kills and nine digs for the Patriots, with Makayla Rock hitting for 34 assists in the game and eight digs. Madison Tromblee had five kills and four digs, while Bela Perez added a team-high 16 digs, Mallorie Douglas six digs and two aces, Anna Pridell three digs and two kills, and Emily Tedford one dig. McCallister said while there were strong individual contributions, the win was one shared by all players on the team. "There is a large group of seniors on this team and they saw potential back in seventh grade on modified," she said. "They would all be playing together for the years ahead and they set their goals back then to work for success in the future. They obtained that goal as they had success last year, and even for this short season, they have achieved success again this year." Ruest and Repas both had four kills for the Eagles in the fifth game, while Repas added one block. Lauren Cross added a pair of kills, and Jenna Begor had a pair of key trips to the service line, connecting on several aces in the third and fourth games to help Beekmantown get back into the match and force the fifth game. While the regular season ends Friday, the Patriots and Eagles are scheduled to meet again Saturday, 11 a.m. at the Beekmantown High School gym.

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Patriots defeat Eagles in five for first place tie

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