JEFFERSON —
With both teams having played for nearly each day during the last 10 days of a busy volleyball schedule, both having come off tough losses in league play Tuesday, it was only natural for the Pymatuning Valley Lakers and Jefferson Falcons to be a bit on the tired side as they matched up Wednesday night in Falcon Gym.
After a tough first game, though, Jefferson found the energy reserve it needed, PV almost ran its tank dry, and the Falcons took a solid 19-25, 25-18-25-8, 17-25, 15-6 non-conference victory.
Leading the way for the Falcons (5-11, 2-3 in All American Conference) were seniors Ariann Barile, LeeAnn Farr, and they got help from sophomore Bailey Beckwith as Jefferson controlled the nets most of the night.
Farr was 29 of 34 spiking, with 15 kills, and she also did a nice job when she wasn’t on the front lines with 11 of 12 passing. Her kills, in particular, stifled many Laker attempts to get back into the match after PV lost its energy levels in the second game.
“What we had tonight was two teams in need of a win,” Jefferson coach Don Palm said. “I’m really proud of our girls. This was our 10th match in 10 days, and a lot of those matches went the distance. It’s logical that they will get tired, but we put out a great effort tonight.
“The girls deserved to win this tough match.”
Barile also played a huge role for Palm. She served 15 points, was perfect on spiking with 17 of 17 including 10 kills, and her passing also was sharp, with a 12-of-13 effort.
Beckwith had a monster night as well with 38 of 41 spikes and 14 kills, completing the big trio of efforts for Jefferson.
“We try hard to focus each night on the match at hand,” PV coach Rob Wludyga said. “When you’re playing several matches on consecutive night, it’s a natural drain on the emotions and body. We always try to help the kids find a balance between schoolwork and being student-athletes, but eventually, you know things catch up with you.
“Tonight, we just lost our energy.”
PV (9-7, 6-3 in Northeastern Athletic Conference) have dropped three in a row now. It did get a big night from Ally Workman.
“Our defense lately has been running through Ally Workman,” Wludyga said. “She’s been great. If we could get that kind of effort from everybody, we’d be in great shape. She was all over the floor tonight.”
Jefferson asserted itself early in the second game. Hayley Allen sent a slam to the floor to provide a 5-3 lead, Tayler Johnston sent five straight points over the net, and the Falcons held off a later rally that closed the gap to four points, at 20-16. A Beckwith block and slam by freshman Alyssa Irons closed out the game, and the Falcons did not allow a service point in the third game to blow it wide open.
As if to find a can of fix-a-flat of energy, PV big lead early in the fourth game, reaching as much as 11 points at 19-8, but the Falcons came back again when Farr sent several slams to the floor, with Barile serving, and Barile sparked an 11-point run in the fifth game with 10 points to settle the night’s activities.
“We needed a win badly,” Palm said. “We’ve got a tough one (tonight) at Newton Falls. I know nothing about them, but this long stretch of matches means we need to stay sharp.
“We were tonight and I hope it carries over.”
Kelly is a freelance writer from Jefferson.
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