Frankfort sweeps Allegany with comeback win in second set
Oct. 14—CUMBERLAND — Frankfort trailed 6-0 early in the second set, then completed the comeback and was able to sweep Allegany 3-0 on Thursday at Allegany.
"Our passing was terrible," Allegany head coach Cassie Murray said. "It's hard to get going when your passing isn't there. Everybody has off games. We still have three games left in the regular season then it's on to the playoffs. Move on to the next one."
The Falcons (13-4) won the three sets with scores of 25-20, 25-23 and 25-17. The Campers (6-6) committed 30 errors and had four players commit at least four each.
"Frankfort worked hard to push to get the win," Frankfort head coach Brooke Alkire-Higson said.
The first set was closely contested, especially early on. Midway through, neither team led by more than three points. That quickly changed as Frankfort went on a 5-2 run and led 16-10. At one point, the Falcons led 19-11 which was their biggest lead of the set. The Campers trailed by five facing game point, but a block from Ada McFarland gave them another chance. Two plays later, Avery Noel set up Jaci Rowe for the winning point in the first set.
"If you don't pass well, it doesn't end well," Murray said. "Free balls for them equals hits."
The second set began with at least six Falcons errors that gave Allegany an early 6-0 advantage. They led 10-2 early which was their biggest lead of the set. Frankfort went on a 13-8 run and cut the deficit to 18-15. The Campers responded with a 4-2 run to make it 22-20. Two Allegany errors helped the Falcons tie the set at 23 all.
A block by Rowe and a kill by Arin Lease secured the comeback win for Frankfort.
"That was critical of us to be able to win that second game," Alkire-Higson said. "They worked together and didn't give up."
Frankfort led the third set 7-1 early, but the Campers responded with five unanswered points. The Falcons then went on a 10-3 run including six unanswered points. Frankfort led 21-10 late which was their biggest lead of the entire match.
Allegany tried to come back and finished the game on a 7-4 run. However, the Campers committed an error on match point as the Falcons held on to win the set and the match.
"If we don't attack, we don't get momentum," Murray said. "Attacks equals kills, that starts with passing. We didn't pass tonight, therefore, we didn't get as many attacks as we usually do. So we never got momentum. When we did, we got up. Or we were in the lead or right there with them."
For Frankfort, Lease finished with nine points, three kills, and three blocks. Noel had 13 assists with two points. Rowe had eight points, two blocks, two kills and one assist.
"They're a dynamic duo," Alkire-Higson said of Lease and Noel. "Our team really works well together. Avery's just a phenomenal setter and gets to the ball to make a play."
For Allegany, Anika Stylinski had a double-double with 11 assists and 10 points. She also had five aces with two digs and one kill. Kinsey Hostetler added 20 digs, three points, two kills and two aces.
Maddi Ruhl scored seven points with six kills and two aces. Ariaya Walker had five points with two blocks. McFarland scored seven points and also had three blocks.
"They just play well together," Murray said about Walker and McFarland. "Usually, we have more people with big games and it's an all-around team effort. Tonight it was just disjointed. But they're good players, and they're gonna continue to play good."
The Falcons travel to Hedgesville, West Virginia, on Saturday at noon to face the Eagles. Allegany hosts Southern Fulton on Monday at 7 p.m.
"Passing I guarantee is going to be the key to winning any game the rest of the season," Murray said.
Jordan Kendall is a Sports Writer for the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @JKendallCTN.
