John Bruce, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by Holzer Health System.
WAVERLY – Experience matters.
With five seniors in its rotation, including three four-year starters, Miami Trace is poised for a big season.
Tuesday night, the Panthers (2-1) put together an impressive performance to hold off Calli Knight, Taryn Gillott and the talented Waverly Tigers in four sets by a 25-14, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19 final.
Miami Trace dominated the early goings of the match due to an impressive display behind the service line.
The Panthers served up six aces in the opening set with three coming from Keionnie Ackley, two from Elizabeth Webb and another from Lauren Guess. The aggressive service kept the Tigers from playing in system, allowing Kylie Yeazel to guide the Panthers’ offense with precision.
Yeazel found fellow seniors Guess, Kaylin Stonerock and Allison Carter for kills, plus junior Ella Butts got into the action as well, with the Panthers roaring to a 25-14 opening set victory.
“Establishing our hitters first and making [the opponent] really focus on them, then me attacking confuses the block on when I’m going attack and when I’m gonna set,” Yeazel said of her decision-making during the Panthers’ attack. “It gets the hitters a single block and helps spread the court out.”
“Kylie has been special for us for four years,” MT head coach Doug Mace said of his setter. “There were a few moments where she just took over a bit and then got everyone right back into the game after.”
The second set seemed to be going the same way, with Miami Trace starting to pull away in the middle portion of play, leading 21-15. Following a timeout, the Tigers (0-1) began to make things interesting, with Gillott and Knight combining on a 5-1 run to force an MT timeout.
The Tigers cut into the lead further, thanks to a big swing from Abby Schrader. But Miami Trace was able to quell the run and finish off the set with a kill from Guess, earning a 25-22 win for a 2-0 advantage.
The tide began to change in the third. Five service errors helped Waverly take a lead, before Cami Carroll found Gillott, Knight and Schrader on the attack, boosting the Tigers to a 25-19 victory.
“[Waverly] has some nice hitters, real nice,” Mace said of Waverly’s attack. “They can change their direction on the ball, making it a challenge for our back row.”
After a Guess spike started the fourth set, Waverly stormed out to a 5-1 lead after a pair of Amelia Montgomery aces.
Miami Trace immediately answered with Guess at the service line, who finished a 5-0 run with an ace. The lead was traded back and forth until the Tigers grabbed a 14-13 lead on a kill from Knight, which would be their last lead of the evening.
On the very next serve, Yeazel set up Guess for a spike and the senior took a massive swing, earning the point and providing a glimpse of what was to come. Her Panthers rode that momentum to a 25-19 fourth set victory.
“I feel great. We’ve been doing this for four years now and the connection has just always been there,” Guess said of the Panthers’ chemistry. “We love each other and we’re a team.”
Mace also commented on the bond that his team has created, while giving a tip of his cap to Waverly.
“Waverly’s just a very good, disciplined team,” Mace said after the win. “The one thing that their teams always do is play very disciplined, very good defense, so we’re happy to get the win. We’re spoiled with our seniors for sure. They’ve been a great asset for a while and have spoiled us.”
The Panthers will return to action on Saturday as they host Gallia Academy. Meanwhile, the Tigers will look for their first win on Wednesday, going to Western Pike.
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