By HUNTER O. LYLE
DUKE CENTER, PA – As they blaze through the final weeks of the regular season, the Otto-Eldred volleyball team picked up another clean sweep, this time beating Smethport 25-6, 25-11 and 25-8.
The Lady Terrors and Lady Hubbers represent the full spectrum of the North Tier League. On one hand, you have Smethport, who sits at dead last in league play with a 1-14 record. On the other hand, you have O-E, who has dominated the competition with a 13-1 league record.
“We just have a group of really good girls. We played a lot in the winter, we played a lot in the spring and summer,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Dan Drummond. “It’s just continuity. We spend a lot of time hitting. It’s like the 3-pointer in basketball, we live by the kill and die by the kill.”
The difference in the two teams’ records was evident on the court almost immediately. Throughout the first set, the Lady Terrors came out to a resounding start, racking up five unanswered points with the help of Ayla VanScoter five consecutive aces. That lead snowballed to 11-3 as the Lady Hubbers struggled to put up a fight. Even when Smethport controlled the serve, they were unable to get quality passes for a return.
As the self-inflicted wounds continued to build, O-E had amassed a 17-4 lead. Smethport would only tally two more points before Addie Bell spike finished off a 25-6 first set victory.
The Lady Hubbers seemed to recollect themselves before taking to the court for the second set. With renewed confidence, Smethport stopped the bleeding from successive Lady Terror aces and fought through multiple rallies. However, without the one-and-done scoring, O-E was able to showcase their acrobatic power above the net, especially through Carrie Drummond who pounded shot after shot for the Lady Terror’s first three points.
“(Carrie) is huge. She’s been a great impact player for us for years,” said Dan Drummond. “She runs the team and she runs the hitters. If she has a bad game, it seems like we all have a bad game. And she’s huge, not just hitting but in the back row and serving as well.”
Led by Drummond, O-E pounded the court with slams and spikes that echoed as they crashed back to Earth. Seemingly helpless, the Lady Hubbers fell behind by a large margin once again, facing a 16-7 deficit halfway through the second. Similar to the first, after finding themselves in a hole, the deflated Lady Hubbers listlessly watched as their opponents took a 25-11 victory and 2-0 set lead.
A comeback for the Lady Hubbers would have required a miracle and that fact appeared to be evident throughout the Smethport roster. O-E ran the lead up to 9-1 before Smethport would muster some momentum. Through Lady Terror miscues and a few perfectly placed shots from the service line, the Lady Hubbers managed to tack on a handful of points, yet still couldn’t keep O-E off the scoreboard as they advanced to 13-5.
After Smethport’s mid-set push died out, the Lady Terrors ran away with the game, cruising to a 12-3 run that gave them a 25-8 third-set win and the sweep. O-E wasted no time as they put Smethport away, marching to victory and towards the postseason.
Drummond ended with a team-high 10 kills, 12 digs, five aces and a block while VanScoter had five kills, three digs and seven aces.
Before entering the postseason, the Lady Terrors take aim at a NTL League Championship. They will get their chance on Monday when they host Coudersport on Senior Night.
“Right now our focus is Coudersport. That’s a huge game for us,” said Dan Drummond. “If we beat them, we should have secured league champions according to our records. Right now, that’s our focus. Saturday, we’re going to practice and we’re going to practice hard and the girls know it.”
Portville girls soccer, volleyball sweep on the road
Around the area
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Portville 3, Dunkirk 0
DUNKIRK, NY – The Lady Panthers conquered the Lady Marauders, winning 25-6, 25-11 and 25-7.
Ali Haynes had a team-high 12 kills and three aces, followed by Laney Vincent with 10 kills and six digs and Adriana Ensell with nine kills and five aces.Adelyn Walker facilitated the offense for the Lady Panthers with 29 assists, also registering three aces.
GIRLS SOCCER
Portville 10, Pine Valley Gowanda 0
SOUTH DAYTON, NY – Win No. 12 came for Portville in a thrashing of PVG, with eight Lady Panthers finding the back of the net.
Grace Gariepy and Gianna Aloi each scored two goals a-piece while Emma Rhinehart tallied a team-high three assists alongside her goal. Lauren Lyle, Kiyah Mohr, Ashley Carls, Ella Zeigler and Julia Layton all recorded a single goal in the Lady Panthers win.
