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Penns Valley volleyball defeats Mifflin County in four-set thriller at home

By KENNY VARNER 3 min read

SPRING MILLS – In a night that had the feeling of a postseason atmosphere, the young and upstart Mifflin County team visited a tough, talented group from Penns Valley in Monday night volleyball action.

This game was a hard-fought contest that had numerous long volleys and side outs. In the end, the Rams were able to muscle out a 3-1 win over the Huskies. The Penns Valley squad won 25-18, 25-12, 24-26, 25-20.

"At the beginning of the season, yes, we were winning, but it feels like we finally have connected as a team, lots more control. They want to play together. They want to get better, And I think they finally have an understanding of the fact that we could go somewhere and they’re seeing it and the community’s seeing it," said Penns Valley coach Skyler Fleshman.

"So I think that’s giving them a little bit more motivation of, like, we want to do this, we want to win. But they work so, so hard. Every single one of them, and I couldn’t be prouder of how they’re performing as a team right now. How good of an effort."

Leading the way for the Rams was front line hitter Caroline Wert. Wert hit some crucial shots late in the fourth game that helped her team come back from a deficit and pull out the win. It was also a historic night for Sydnie Dalton, as she captured her 608th dig, moving her up the all-time Penns Valley list.

Mifflin County got some strong front line play themselves from Gracie Napikoski, Leah Hartzler and Ella Hartzler, as they were all factors in pushing their night to a fourth and almost fifth game.

In the first two games, the Rams took both wins. The first was a close one from beginning to end. The second game saw the Rams win convincingly 25-12.

Leading the way from the service line was Wert with five service points. Dalton chipped in with four, and Taylor Homan had four as well. Mix in strong front row efforts by Jordan Johnson, Homan and Wert, Penns Valley found themselves cruising to a 2-0 lead over the Huskies.

But the Huskies battled back in the third set.

Penns Valley opened up with an early 6-4 lead on three consecutive service points by Dalton. From there, Mifflin County battled back for three consecutive points, two of which ended on blocks by Leah Hartzler, making it an 8-7 advantage for the visitors.

Penns Valley would knot things at eight. But Riley Kahley scored consecutive service points and Napikoski would be a big part of that, as she posted consecutive spikes to put the Huskies up by three.

The two would battle all the way to a 24-24 tie before the Huskies called a time out. From there, the Huskies took back the possession via a side out and took the win on the following play thanks to a block by Leah Hartzler, cutting it to a 2-1 lead.

The last game of the night was a back-and-forth affair until the game was tied at 17. Penns Valley server Addison Gillan helped the Rams tie and extend their lead to 21-17 with four service points. From there, Penns Valley was able to hold on from there to finish the match at 25-20.

Penns Balley is back in action Tuesday as they battle Philipsburg-Osceola.

Starting at /week.