Another close one in Draft

STUARTS DRAFT — In a match full of long rallies and service winners, both teams had a chance to win with Stuarts Draft coming out on top 25-15, 23-25, 17-25, 26-24, 15-12 against Spotswood in non-district play Thursday night.
The Cougars and Trailblazers went back and forth in the early parts of the first game before Draft was able to pull away from a 11-10 score thanks to back-to-back aces from Ariel Christy.
The Blazers never could regain any momentum from Christy’s aces falling easily in the first set.
Spotswood got its act together in the second game, setting the ball well for kills from every possible angle. Senior Layton Schaeffer and junior Kate Sullenger led the way for the Blazers in the second set, getting low sets for quick kills down into the empty spots on the court.
“Spotswood’s a pretty good team,” Draft coach Kami Meeteer stated. “They have a couple strong players. They just kept the ball in play and had a lot of control.”
Spotswood’s control played a huge role in the way the team played in the second and third games.
By keeping the ball in play, the Blazers forced the Cougars to make plays of their own, forcing some bad shots and getting the ball buried on them on others.
After working the game plan to perfection in the second and third games, Draft was poised to attack before the Blazers had a shot to extend the point.
Spotswood pulled ahead 6-2 in the fourth game, looking to defeat the Cougars in four games in front of their home crowd.
Draft got a kill from Aliya Stevenson, and after several mistakes by the Blazers, a kill by Chayla Burkholder to knot the score at six.
Kamron Johnson took the serve for Draft, serving two aces and a service winner on three plays to give the Cougars the 9-6 lead and hope in the match.
The Blazers fought hard to keep the score close, but Draft would pull away again and again until the fourth game was in the books, 26-24.
In a deciding fifth game, Spotswood once again pulled ahead early 4-0.
Draft answered back on the serve of Lindsay Iseli, picking up two aces in route to tying up the game at four.
After seesawing there way to a 12-11 Spotswood lead, Cougar Caroline Campbell stepped up to serve.
“I was so nervous, you have no idea,” Campbell vehemently stated. “I just thought that ‘I had to keep it over, I don’t want to lose. I don’t want to give them any points at all’”.
Campbell’s ace tied up the game at 12.
“I never got comfortable serving at that time, not at all,” Campbell laughed. “I was so nervous.”
After a big block by Johnson and Iseli and a four hit mistake by the Blazers, Draft had match point up 14-12 with Campbell still on serve.
A kill by Johnson off of a cut shot ended any hope for the Blazers as the Cougars pulled out the victory.
“I think the fourth and fifth game they realized what they were supposed to do,” Meeteer said. “They did it and we won.”
Stuarts Draft (3-2, 1-0 Southern Valley) looks to continue its winning ways on the road Tuesday against Turner Ashby.