Semoball

Kennett overcomes Malden despite never leading by more than four points

Kennett celebrates after Macy New, top left, gets a kill to win Game 1 against Malden on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, in Malden, Mo.
DAILY AMERICAN REPUBLIC/Scott Borkgren

MALDEN — In a five-game thriller, Kennett never led by more than four points.

The Indians played from behind most of the night but rallied when it mattered to win 25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-12 and stay undefeated heading into the Dig For Life Tournament this weekend in Cape Girardeau.

"I'm proud of my girls. We needed that win," Kennett coach Gentry Vancil said. "We had a hard time getting over the hump. We had a hard time serve/receiving. The games we won, we came from behind, and that's hard to do. On that fourth set, we finally got over the hump, made some better plays."

Kennett (4-0) had its best start of the night in Game 5 and held the lead until Malden's Angela Dobbins got a kill to tie it at seven.

Malden took its first lead at 11-10, but Kennett's Elle Vancil got a block to force the game's fourth tie.

Macy New added a kill to give Kennett the lead, and Malden hit a return into the net to put Kennett ahead 13-11.

Kennett tipped the ball into the net, and New got a kill to give Elle Vancil the serve.

Elle Vancil hit a hard service to the back row that sent the Green Wave got up, but several players ended up diving for a second pass as the volleyball bounced on the court.

"It could have gone either way," coach Vancil said. "Sometimes, the volleyball gods are kind to us. Malden has a good team, no doubt about it. We ended up serving there at the end."

Thursday's match was Malden's third in three days, all losses against teams with winning records.

"We had an incredibly tough one last night against Bernie. I feel like we were physically tired. I am super proud of my team for trying to overcome that against a very good Kennett team. They have some solid hitters, and they covered a lot," Malden coach Alex Glover said. "I think we missed too many serves. We would win a point, do something great, and then we'd put the next serve either too long or in the net. That hurt us the most … One time, it was three or four rotations in a row where we missed a serve after we won the point, and that just takes the momentum from you."

Malden (2-4) was in control for most of the first game but couldn't hold off one last run by Kennett.

After taking a 3-2 lead, the Green Wave didn't trail again until Kennet reached the game point.

The Indians committed a series of errors midway through, giving Malden four straight points and a 19-13 lead, and Kennett called a timeout.

Still trailing 23-20, Elle Vancil got a kill and an ace. Then Kennett turned to New to finish the comeback.

New tied the game with a tip, then drilled a kill from the left side to take the lead. Kennett went to her again, and she finished the game with a tip.

"Macy New hit hard for us. Jetta Tillman, she came through for us," coach Vancil said. "We had some better plays on the net eventually. It was an awesome game, it was an intense game, and it was a game we needed going into the (Dig for Life) tournament."

Kennett scored the first three points of Game 2, only to have Malden answer with a 15-3 run.

After a stretch of rally scoring, Malden still led 21-13 when Kennett made a late run for the second game in a row.

Malden committed three straight errors, New got a kill, Malden got called for four hits and called a timeout with its lead down to three points.

Kennett hit a return into the net and another wide, putting Malden ahead 23-18. New got a kill to get the serve back, and Malden made a passing error.

Brydon Maddox answered with a clutch kill to put Malden ahead 24-20.

Mallory Perkins stuffed an overpass on Makayla Walker's serve for what Malden thought was the game point, but Malden was called for a net violation instead.

After a long rally, Kennett committed its own net violation to give Malden the win.

In-Game 3, Kennett called an early timeout after Malden scored the first four points.

The Indians repeatedly threatened to take the lead but never could.

They tied the game at nine but committed a passing error. Kennett tied it again at 18, but Perkins got a kill to give Malden the serve. New answered with a kill for another tie at 19, but Malden's Nasia Smoot got a kill and a tip.

Smoot hit an ace to put Malden ahead 24-21. Kennett scored a tip-off the block, and Malden got called for an illegal hit to bring the Indians within one point.

The Green Wave avoided another tie when Gabby Caruso hit an attack, and Kennett's dig sailed over the net and wide for game point.

"I've seen improvement out of us every single game. I think that we're doing better and making strides at making that setter/hitter connection every single game," Glover said.

After playing from behind in the first three games, Kennett finally got over the hump midway through Game 4. The Indians took a timeout after being down 9-5 and scored three straight points after the break. For the rest of the match, neither team led by more than four points.

Kennett took its first lead at 18-17 after Malden made back-to-back errors.

After a trio of lead changes, New jump served for an ace to put Kennett ahead 22-19. More errors by both teams left Kennett ahead 24-21, and Elle Vancil came up with a block for the game point.

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