LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. – The inaugural CCS Volleyball Tournament is going to be a doozy.
Maryville displayed its title contender credentials Tuesday night with a gritty 3-2 comeback win over first-place Covenant. It was the second straight 3-2 victory in as many seasons against their rival Scots on the Covenant home floor, and that could provide some positive vibes should this year's conference tournament end up being played there.
"I'm proud of how we battled," Maryville head coach
Kandis Schram said. "The team played with poise and determination against a very good Covenant team. I am looking forward to celebrating our seniors this Saturday."
Maryville's win was its 10th in a row and snapped Covenant's 12-game winning streak, which had run for 31 days. The Covenant Scots at 12-2 are still in the driver's seat to win the regular season crown, with home matches this weekend against Belhaven (6-8) and Wesleyan (2-11). Maryville improved to 19-8 overall and 11-3 in the CCS heading into Saturday's Senior Day matches against LaGrange (3-10) and Agnes Scott (0-13).
Also in the running for a CCS title are Berea (11-3) and Huntingdon (10-3), which meet Saturday in Kentucky. Maryville finished 1-1 against the other top three contenders and is a perfect 8-0 against the rest of the conference.
Late Rally Flips Vital First Set
Tuesday's opening set was the closest of the match, with eight ties and four lead changes. Maryville grabbed an 8-4 lead on an
Amii Ingalls kill, only to see Covenant score four straight for an 8-all tie. Maryville again went ahead 18-14 and extended the lead to 21-15, but once more Covenant fought back. The home side scored seven in a row and nine points out of 10 to grab set-point at 24-22. But a Maryville timeout produced the needed adjustments. Kills by
Isabella Samson and
Landry Frisch sandwiched a pair of Covenant attack errors, and the visitors pocketed the first set 26-24.
Covenant in Set 2 raced to a 9-3 lead and never relinquished it en route to a 25-18 win. In Set 3, the teams battled early before Covenant moved in front 11-7. Maryville drew within 12-11 but that was as close as it got in a 25-19 home side win for a 2-1 Blue and White lead.
Maryville then turned the power up a notch in Sets 4 and 5. In Set 4, tied 6-6, two kills from
Amii Ingalls and another from Samson ignited a Maryville rally to a 12-6 advantage. The lead swelled to 18-10 on
Brooklyn Wallet's kill, and then 19-11 on a kill by
Cailin Mastropasqua. Samson delivered a pair of service aces to close it out at 25-14.
Maryville never trailed in the deciding Set 5. After three early ties, the visitors scored five straight – capped by three consecutive Covenant attack errors. The home side stayed close until
Reese Bailey connected for a 12-9 lead. Bailey struck again for 14-11 and a final Covenant miscue sealed the win and a happy bus ride down the mountain.
Bonee has delivered 101 assists in two matches (nine sets) this fall against Covenant -- 51 in the first match and 50 Tuesday night. Ingalls turned in a career-high 27 digs on this night, while Samson led the attack with 15 kills. Those three Scots all posted double-doubles. It was the 10th of the season for Bonee, the ninth for Ingalls and the seventh for Samson.
Maryville is home Saturday for Senior Day, with festivities beginning just after 11:30 a.m. The Scots take on LaGrange at noon and Agnes Scott at 4 p.m., with those two teams meeting in the in-between match.
