Photo by Katie Shaugnessy
By Theo Severud
Sports Reporter
The #8 seeded Newton South girls’ volleyball triumphed over the #9 seed, Medford, in a 3-1 victory at Newton North on Thursday.
The first set began with South taking a quick lead, going up to 5-1. The Lions could not continue their strong start, however, and Medford stormed back, pushing the score to a 15-15 tie. After Medford tied it up, South could not get back into the motion of the game and eventually lost the first set 18-25.
The second set began similarly to the first, with South jumping out to an 8-3 lead. Medford again rallied back, tying the score at 9-9. The rest of the set was an intense back and forth affair, with both teams fighting to pull ahead. With the set knotted at 23-23, South finally took control and pulled off a 25-23 win.
Captain Stella Owings said winning the second set was very important for the team’s eventual success.
“It gave us confidence and pumped us up,” Owings said.
South came out strong in the third set, riding the momentum from the previous set and using the energy radiated by the fans. The Lions held a large lead throughout the entire set which continued to grow. Seven consecutive points from South closed out the set 25-13, putting them up 2-1 in the match.
The fourth set was much closer at the beginning, with Medford storming back from a 6-1 deficit to tie it at 9. South was able to solidify an 18-14 lead after that and cruised to a 25-15 win, taking the match 3-1.
Captain Catherine Patti commented on the team’s ability to overcome slow starts to win matches.
“I think we often lose the first set because we don’t bring the intensity that we need right away,” Patti said. “I think this could be costly in that we might not get the energy and confidence back up for the rest of the game if we lose the first set, but at the same time I think having done it several times, we can overcome this fault of ours.”
South will face top-seeded Newton North (#1) on Tuesday, at North.
