Tuesday’s Raccoon River Conference volleyball match between Perry and visiting Carroll did not start the way the hosts would have liked, nor did it end the way they would have preferred.
Carroll (8-16, 1-4) used wins of 25-23 and 25-19 to threaten a sweep, but Perry (3-18, 0-5) fought back with a rugged determination, winning the third set, 31-29, before posting a 25-16 fourth-set victory that forced a fifth and deciding set. Unfortunately for the Jayettes, self-inflicted errors cost the team valuable points, with the Tigers able to escape with the 3-2 match win after a 15-9 victory in the final game.
“Our free-ball passing was awesome tonight and I think our serve-receive was great once we got through the shaky first couple of serves,” head coach Kristel Schultz said. “The elephant in the room is missing three serves in a set to 15. You can’t miss three serves in a set to 25, let alone one to 15. Our communication proved ineffective in our last set and we let three balls drop in-between three girls.”
Those six points proved to be the margin of victory for the Tigers, who looked as if they might fold after Perry launched a ferocious come-back effort to extend the match.
The Jayettes had squandered a lead of as many as four points in dropping the opening set, 25-23, then never seemed to find their rhythm in losing the second set, 25-19.
“I did turn to the coaches after the second set and say I wish we had one win under our belt, just so we wouldn’t be the team with all the pressure,” Schultz said “I was happy to see that we fought back and didn’t just let it get away.”
The two teams traded small runs throughout the third game, with neither able to finish off the other. Perry twice avoided match point before finally emerging with a 31-29 win that appeared to rattle the Tigers and fire up the Jayettes, who had little trouble in recording a 25-16 game four win.
Jo Diw had 28 kills to lead Perry, with Grace Marburger adding 13, Adrian Thompson six and Sid Vancil three. Vancil had 35 assists, Thompson five and West three.
Marburger and Thompson had three blocks apiece, with Diw, Vancil and Isabel Saemisch each adding a single block. Syd Guerra’s 24 digs led the team, with Vancil making 12 digs and Marburger 10 while Diw tallied eight, West six and Thompson and Saemisch two each.
Diw served 17-of-18 with three aces, with Marburger 19-21-3 and Vancil 15-15-1 behind the line. Thompson finished 13-16-3, West 20-of-22 and Guerra 11-of-11.
Perry visits Winterset Tuesday before hosting the Jayette Tournament Oct. 6.
