Postseason volleyball means the creme rises to the top.
Tuesday night at the Hidden Valley gym, the Titans passed the latest test by knocking off an upstart Abingdon squad 3-0 to advance to the Conference 32 title game Thursday night against a much more familiar foe, Cave Spring.
“The competition is getting better,” Hidden Valley head coach Carla Poff noted after the elimination match. “Abingdon challenged us and gave us a different look. Fortunately for us, we were consistent and our offense played fast. They had some good hitters and it came down to playing our side of the net and playing tough.”
Abingdon second-year head coach Rachel Harding knew Hidden Valley would pose a major challenge after watching the Titans sweep Cave Spring last Thursday night.
“Hidden Valley is good and they have speed and big hitters,” Harding said. “We don’t get a lot of speed in our district, so it’s hard to simulate this. We struggled a little and they rattled us at key points in the match. We’ve come a long way in two years. We’ve been playing teams in Tennessee and I’d really like to start scheduling games in this area. You’ve got to get a winning mentality by playing the best. Our girls have had trouble finishing the big matches. It’s easy to get tightened up.”
Hidden Valley ran out to a 16-6 lead in the opening game on the power by seniors Madison Morris and Brooke Mitchell, and the Titans looked to be in for a cakewalk. But, Abingdon closed to within three at 21-18 before Hidden Valley regrouped to go on a 4-2 run and the 25-20 win.
Game two was tied at 10 when Abingdon was rattled into a string of unforced errors that included three long shots, a whiffed set and a net violation. Now up 17-12, Hidden Valley traded points the rest of the way for the second straight 25-20 win.
The Titans took control midway through game three, leading 14-10 and 18-12. Freshman Drew Freeland served up back-to-back points at the 20-13 mark and Hanna Podeschi fired a kill down the right side to later provide the match clincher at 25-17.
“We didn’t know what to expect from Abingdon,” Podeschi noted outside the Titan locker room. “We were always positive tonight. We wanted to get them into unforced errors.”
It was the signature power game that throttled the Titans. Morris had 14 kills with Mitchell adding 13 blasts past the Falcon defense. Libero Skylar Kendrick helped negate the Abingdon power with 8 digs while Freeland and Bre Lockhart each served three aces. The ever-reliable Podeschi provided 18 assists.
Despite both Hidden Valley and Cave Spring assured of advancing to regional berths, Thursday night’s conference final will undoubtably be a dogfight.
“I love to play Cave Spring,” Poff said. “It’s a totally different atmosphere and we expect this place to be full.”
– Bill Turner
