Indian Springs vs Oak Grove (September)
Disclaimer: all the points are written in (Springs-Oak Grove) notation.
Volleyball is a high-stakes game of hot potato played by people who can leap like gazelles; except the potato is rock hard, flying towards you at 30 mph, and wants to break your wrists. This high-intensity chaos was on full display when the Springs JV and Varsity volleyball teams took the court against Oak Grove High School on Tuesday September 8th for the third match of the season.
Oak Grove snagged the opening points of the JV match, but Springs wasn’t about to hand over the momentum without a fight. Libero Zoe Levine pulled off a stunning, gravity-defying, one-handed dig just millimeters before the ball hit the floor, while Audrey Hurt dropped yet another service ace, keeping her early-season streak alive. Even with those highlight plays, Springs JV trailed through the next few rallies, leading to a timeout at 6-10 to regroup. From the stands, you could practically feel the tension radiating off the court. But the next four points out of the huddle turned out to be the undisputed main event of set one.
It all started off with a serve from Lua Nourani, followed by a perfect finger tip attack from Grace Schmidtke that fell just out of the defence’s reach. Lua then delivered two back-to-back underhand serves that clipped the top of the net and left Oak Grove speechless. Elizabeth Morris dropped two consecutive aces to flip the scoreboard from 13-11 to 15-11. Then came a spike from Audrey Hurt at 16-12 (every time her feet leave the floor, you know you’re about to witness something deeply satisfying), a sneaky palm tap into empty space by Mae Chitwood, and yet another crisp ace from Grace Schmidtke. Fittingly, the final point of the first set was a ruthless block at the net from Elizabeth Morris, wrapping up a 25-18 victory for Springs.
Set two of the JV match opened up with the classic chant: “Springs on three, Springs on three, 1-2-3 SPRINGS!”. Fueled by the set-one win, the team delivered highlight after highlight, including an aesthetically pleasing backward set from Mrudula Ram to make it 7-6, a service ace from Krista Richie, and another service ace from Sabrina Denny; because apparently, we were collecting service aces like Pokemon cards in this game. Elizabeth Morris also chimed in with two more in a row. Points 10 to 20 was an exciting tug of war, but a series of continuous offense and defense errors pushed the scoreboard to a tense 25-25 tie. Enter Audrey Hurt, who took this opportunity to land back-to-back aces, sealing the set 27-25 and the JV match a clean 2-0 sweep.
Next up was Varsity, in a marathon match that tested everyone’s stamina. Springs took the very first point, which proved to be a good omen. Early highlights included a beautifully calculated spike from Andie Linton and a flawless serve execution from Kate Tompkins. Bettie Kerr elevated over two towering blockers to push the lead to 11-4, while Andie Linton launched a spike that grazed the finger tip of an Oak Grove player on its way down. A final service ace from Gabrielle Hawthorne closed out set one in a dominant 25-16 win.
Set two was arguably the best play for Springs on the scoreboard. Andie Linton sent a quick spike over the net, got blocked, but instantly activated lightning fast reflexes to recover her own ball and pop it back over. Later, Madison Crenshaw hammered a spike that barely clipped the tape and just made it over, earning an instant roar from the Swamp (Indian Springs crowd). Gabrielle Hawthorne stepped up to serve backed by a wall of bleacher hypemen chanting “Aaaahhh Oooohhhh,” delivering aces at 12-7, 14-7, and 15-7. In one textbook sequence, Kate Tompkins passed, Andie Linton set, and Bettie Kerr sent a rocket over the net. Oak Grove blocked it, but Springs scrambled to keep it alive and win the rally anyway. The set wrapped up with a clean attack from Lucy Edmondson, in a 25-11 victory.
Set three kept the drama coming. Madison Crenshaw hit a line shot that gave instant deja vu, followed by a service ace from Andie Linton. From the bleachers, Madison Crenshaw’s attacks are pure, iconic physics that look and sound like sonic booms, making them absolute treats to watch. Shortly after, several receive and spike misses allowed Oak Grove catch up to 17-20. Springs called a short timeout to regroup, but the momentum stayed on the other side of the net, giving Springs a frustratingly close 21-25 loss.
By the fourth set, heavy exhaustion had settled over both the court and the stands. But Springs Varsity dug deep! In a battle at the net, Sara Lou Chopin met an Oak Grove player at the peak of their jumps; she won outright. Gabrielle Hawthorne and Alexis McKenzie contributed more service aces, leading into a wild rally at 19-12 where both teams crashed forward to attack and fell back to defend like ocean tides. Finally, the match reached its end when Andie Linton dropped a game-winning service ace, taking the set 25-17 and securing a 3-1 match victory for Springs!