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By Jeff Kessinger (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
There were, in fact, just six players on the court for Skyline Thursday night. That is the standard number for a volleyball match, after all. But those six covered an awful lot of ground on defense in a 25-18, 25-14, 25-22 sweep of Clever in a Mid-Lakes Conference match.
“They came out ready to go. I knew our defense was going to be the kicker,” Skyline coach Shawna Bybee said. “We had to pick up their swings because (Clever) is a good hitting team all the way around. The last couple of practices we’ve really been working on defense. We haven’t been working our offensive game as much because we wanted to pick the ball up (tonight).”
And, indeed, Clever hit the ball hard all night long. But the Blue Jays struggled to put the ball down.
“Skyline is a great defensive team and they don’t let the ball fall,” Clever coach Angie Wise said. “We were hitting it down the line, in the middle, deep, on the sides, but they just didn’t leave many holes.”
Seniors Angelina Curtis and Ella Dougherty helped power the way for Skyline, serving up key runs in the first two sets. Curtis went first, scoring a point at the net, then serving four straight points to push the Tigers in front 11-5 in the first set. Clever never got closer than four points the rest of the way.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
Skyline (18-2 overall, 2-0 MLC) led just 13-12 in the second set when Dougherty took control. She, like Curtis, got a kill at the net, then went on a long run from the service line. Dougherty served seven straight points for the Tigers to expand the lead to 21-12 and put the second set out of reach.
“Those two seniors started as freshmen, so they got to play against (Strafford’s) Chloe Rear and (Fair Grove’s) Alana Findley and players like that,” Bybee said. “They developed a strong defensive attitude. I think defense is an attitude and that’s why they have that.”
Clever (17-8-1, 1-1) raced out to an early lead in the third set, getting kills from Abbi Vanzant and Kylie Wenger to go in front 5-2. But Skyline won seven of the next eight points to take the lead and a pair of 5-0 runs put the match out of reach.
“We had been starting to play with some consistency and that’s why I’m a little disappointed tonight,” Wise said. “It looks like we’re going back to our inconsistent ways. Skyline deserves all the credit. I’m not upset that we got beat, I’m upset we didn’t compete and we didn’t make adjustments on the back row when we needed to.”
Skyline started just one player taller than 5-foot-9, but it didn’t matter. Their small, athletic lineup was always in the right place.
“We’ve always been lucky to have athletic kids that will get low,” Bybee said. “In previous years Skyline volleyball hasn’t really been known to be competitive, so the last four years that’s what our goal is — just compete with teams. I feel like what we’ve been doing is utilizing every player in a certain way. We know what every player is good at and what they might be weak at, and the girls help each other with their weak spots. I feel like that’s what helps us. We don’t have very many weak spots”
Both teams take on Stockton in their next match. Skyline gets a home game Oct. 12, while Clever travels to Stockton Oct. 13.
