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Streator girls volleyball serves up first loss of season to Pontiac · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Streeter Girls Volleyball Serves Up First Loss of Season to Pontiac.
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  Speaker 1: Written by J.T. Pedalty. This article is being read by
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  Speaker 1: an automated voice brought to you by Everlit. An improbable
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  Speaker 1: point-preventing dig followed in short order by a winning point-giving
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  Speaker 1: kill can fire up a volleyball team. The Streeter Bulldogs
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  Speaker 1: had a lot of them Wednesday evening in handing visiting
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  Speaker 1: Pontiac its first loss of the season in straight sets, 25-21,
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  Speaker 1: 25-19 at Popsdale Gymnasium. I think when we have those
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  Speaker 1: hustle plays, it just brings our whole energy up as
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  Speaker 1: a team, said outside hitter Alexa Barr, who pushed over
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  Speaker 1: a winning tip from the left side of the net
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  Speaker 1: for match point. I've noticed this year especially we have
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  Speaker 1: a really good hustling team. We're chasing down every ball,
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  Speaker 1: and we're always there for one another, covering each other.
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  Speaker 1: It's really just all about energy and playing together and
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  Speaker 1: being there for one another. Barr's match-ending tip was her
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  Speaker 1: second kill, with the senior also adding a half-dozen digs
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  Speaker 1: for Streeter, 4-2-2. Sophomore Avery Gribben, 9 kills, 10 digs,
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  Speaker 1: 3 aces. Senior Libero Kennedy Hartrick, 8 digs and junior
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  Speaker 1: Ashley Taylor, 10 assists, 4 kills. Kinsley Sweden, 3 kills,
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  Speaker 1: 2 blocks, 6 assists, 2 aces. And Malaya Zavada, 2 kills,
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  Speaker 1: 1 block, 3 aces, serves, also enjoyed a big night
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  Speaker 1: for the Bulldogs. Pontiac, 7-1. won six of the night's
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  Speaker 1: opening eight rallies, and looked to be on its way
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  Speaker 1: to its eighth straight win before kills from Gribben Zavada
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  Speaker 1: and Sophia Snow set the stage for a Shelby on-deck
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  Speaker 1: ace and Zavada stuff block to tie the opening set 12-12.
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  Speaker 1: When we first started out, there were a bunch of miscommunications,
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  Speaker 1: Barr said, but I think after a few points we
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  Speaker 1: figured it out, got together and decided we were going
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  Speaker 1: to take charge and take the game back. We just
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  Speaker 1: started communicating better. We did have a bit of a
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  Speaker 1: slow start, Streeter coach Julie Gabbahart said. Pontiac did handle
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  Speaker 1: us pretty well last year. 25-12, 25-15, it was very lopsided,
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  Speaker 1: and I think the girls had that in the back
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  Speaker 1: of their minds and came out a little tight. Then
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  Speaker 1: halfway through the first set, we relaxed and started playing
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  Speaker 1: our type of volleyball and realized they didn't have to
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  Speaker 1: worry about defending what Pontiac was doing. It was about
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  Speaker 1: playing our game and making Pontiac adjust to what we
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  Speaker 1: were doing. Streeter took control shortly thereafter, a five-point run
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  Speaker 1: featuring three aces from a knuckleball serving Zavada, building a
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  Speaker 1: 21-18 advantage that Streeter cashed in with a Gribben tip,
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  Speaker 1: kill off a Sweden assist for set point. Unlike the opener,
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  Speaker 1: the second set was pretty much all Streeter from the start,
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  Speaker 1: Streeter repeatedly making phenomenal diving saves. Gribben had two of them,
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  Speaker 1: Barr and Sweden two others, to force long rallies and
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  Speaker 1: then cashing them in for points. That's really been a
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  Speaker 1: strength for us this year, Gabbhart said of her scrappy
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  Speaker 1: Bulldogs extending rallies that seemed lost. They're laying out for
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  Speaker 1: balls for a third touch. Even if there's a half
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  Speaker 1: percent chance that touch is going over the net, they're
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  Speaker 1: laying out for it and going to get a hand
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  Speaker 1: on it before it touches the floor. That kind of
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  Speaker 1: hustle just feeds energy to the entire team. Streeter led
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  Speaker 1: the second set 29 before a late Indians rally made
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  Speaker 1: the final tally look a bit better. After Pontiac's early
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  Speaker 1: 6-2 lead in the first set, Streeter won 43 of
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  Speaker 1: the match's next 67 rallies. 64.2%. Our passing was off,
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  Speaker 1: we were kind of sluggish tonight, and we just couldn't
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  Speaker 1: get in our groove, Indians coach Abby Mays said. We're
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  Speaker 1: usually a very scrappy team, but tonight just wasn't our night.
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  Speaker 1: Mental reset and back at it. Senior outside hitter Trinity
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  Speaker 1: Cheek put down 8 kills to lead Pontiac. Streeter visits
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  Speaker 1: Coal City on Thursday before returning to the Pops next
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  Speaker 1: Tuesday to host Piotone.