By HUNTER O. LYLE
DUKE CENTER, PA – In a clash of the only two undefeated teams in the North Tier League, the Port Allegany volleyball team asserted their supremacy, taking down Otto-Eldred in three clean sets.
Although the Lady Terrors entered Monday’s matchup with one blemish on their record, a loss to Bradford in early September, both teams had been on a tear in league play. Constantly dispatching opponents with ease, Port (9-0) and O-E (8-1) had been red hot to open the season.
“Our success comes from our five seniors and how hard they work. They work hard everyday in practice,” said Port Allegany head coach Matt Barr. “They all work hard, they all want to work for each other.”
With the stands full of both visiting and home fans and facing a rowdy Hawaiian-themed student section, the Lady Gators got to work quieting the Terror Dome. After trading blows early, Port jumped out to a quick 4-0 run that was sparked by Jenna Renner. Working at the net, Renner was the answer to O-E’s dominant power-hitter Rayel Hakes. After coming away with a thunderous spike, she then stuffed Hakes point blank as Port jumped out to a 6-2 lead.
Although the Lady Terrors would eventually tie the game at 7-7, finding their own big hits from Ayla Van Scoter and Baylee Franics, their momentum would soon fade. A 7-4 run by the Lady Gators, followed by four unanswered points late would put them up by five, a lead that would hold for the remainder of the set, producing a 25-20 win and a 1-0 lead on the night.
“The set one win is always important. It kind of set the tempo of the game,” said Barr. “Our girls did a good job of going out tonight, coming out fast, coming out smart and strong.”
In the second set, Port would once again burst out of the gates, albeit, to a 7-4 advantage on the scoreboard. Once again, the Blue and Gold would gather steam, scoring four unanswered, only to have the Lady Gators retaliate. Finding their largest scoring stretch of the night at 6-0, Port quickly amassed a 17-11 lead that would steamroll to 25-16 to put them firmly in control.
O-E opened the do-or-die third with their strongest play of the night. Feeding hitters, finding impossible returns over the net and using a combination of accurate taps and powerful slams, the Lady Terrors took their biggest lead of the evening at 9-6.
But then came the Lady Gators once again.
Grabbing a hold of the momentum and refusing to let go, Port tied the game up at 11 before scoring six unanswered points. Despite breaking the run with a handful of big hits from Hakes and Co., the Lady Terrors interruption would only be temporary. On final push, totalling at 7-2 and finished off with a smash from Renner, sealed the Lady Gators sweep, preserving their untouched record and proving they were the team to beat.
Renner finished the night with a team-high 30 digs and 14 kills while Brynn Evans had 22 digs and three kills. Mady Errick recorded 29 digs, Lily Lehmier had 14 kills, 12 digs and five aces while Isa Lehmier had 31 assists and three aces.
“We’ve had confidence all year. Our mentality is that we bring our A-game. We like our chances with anybody,” said Barr. “(O-E) is a really good team and we’re glad to come out of here with the win.”
