Fort’s momentum stumps Giants in 5

The momentum swung like a pendulum, with a coveted Southern Valley District win hanging in the balance. Waynesboro wanted to rise above .500 in the district, and Fort Defiance was trying to stay undefeated in the Southern Valley.

After five emotional games, Fort Defiance came away the victor, winning the back-and-forth battle 20-25, 25-14, 27-25, 22-25, 15-11.

“It’s such a mental sport,” said Fort Defiance coach Lynn Alexander. “You have 20 seconds between points to think about it, and that is where the momentum comes in.”

In the first game, neither team was able to pull more than three points away until the Little Giants went on a four-point tear, with Rachel Binda putting the game-winning, cross-court kill away for a 25-20 win. The Indians didn’t let the first-game loss end their chances and led from start to finish in Game 2, ending the game on an Anna Martinez kill.

Fort took a 2-1 lead in the match after Game 3, allowing Waynesboro the lead early in the game — a Norah Curtis lob caught the Indians off guard on the first point — but the Indians quickly pulled out to a 21-13 lead.

Trailing, Binda smashed a kill and started a 10-2 Waynesboro run, to knot the score at 23. Haley Quesenbery’s kill gave the Giants a 24-23 lead, but the Indians tied it up at 24. Both teams traded bad shots to knot the score at 25, but Quesenbery gave the Little Giants a one-point deficit and the Indians’ Becca Houff put down a kill to end the game.

“When we have a lead, we play and have fun,” said Waynesboro coach Lori Aleshire. “They get hard on themselves and make mistakes.”

Waynesboro trailed again in the fourth game 22-17, but Binda swung the momentum back in the Little Giants’ favor with a kill. Katie Doyle hit another Little Giants kill on the next point, and Jolie Dudley followed with an ace, sending the Little Giants into a 22-22 tie.

Dudley added another ace and the Indians’ Ashly Hill missed a kill attempt to give the Giants a 25-22 win, sending the match into a deciding game five.

“It’s like they expected Waynesboro to give up,” Alexander said. “They needed to find it down in themselves. … They worked hard and pulled together as a team.”

The momentum was on Waynesboro’s side after the three-minute break, but the pendulum took another sharp swing for Fort and the Indians took an 8-0 lead out of the gate. Houff had three kills in the run and Kayla Peskonko added two more points — one off a block and the other from a tip over the net.

Waynesboro again battled back after Heather Sutton shot a kill at the Indians and Binda followed with one of her own. The Giants slowly crawled back into the game, making the score 10-13.

Fort Defiance’s Jordan Leake fooled the Little Giants, faking a set over her head that found the hardwood on Waynesboro’s side of the court. Quesneberry followed with a kill, but with the match on the line, Waynesboro failed to return the next point, giving Fort the win.

The Indians’ week won’t get any easier either. On Thursday, Fort hosts Stuarts Draft in another Southern Valley match.

“We know they are a good team,” Alexander said. “They are big up front and we have to be smart.”

Fort Defiance’s Houff finished the match with 15 kills, 33 digs and 18 service points. Jordan Leak had 47 helpers for the Indians, Heidi Michael had 32 digs and Kayla Peskonko had five blocks.

The Little Giants take on Wilson at home on Thursday.