Giants take Draft in 5

After allowing Stuarts Draft to claw back from a 2-0 deficit to send the match into a decisive Game 5, Waynesboro returned to its aggressive style of play and seized control of the pivotal Southern Valley District Match.

Waynesboro won the first two games 25-16, 25-23 before dropping the next two to the Cougars 21-25, 19-25. In the final game, the Little Giants jumped out to a large 8-1 lead and eventually closed out the game 15-11 on a Callie Owens floater over the Cougar front line. 

“We were up two games and then we just went back into cruise control,” said Waynesboro coach Lori Aleshire. “We were expecting them to fold and they didn’t.”

The win puts the Little Giants in a tie for second place in the district with the Cougars. Both teams have beaten each other this season and also have losses to No. 1 Fort Defiance. The Indians have yet to lose in district play this season. Waynesboro will play Fort on Oct. 29 and the Cougars will get their rematch against the Indians on Tuesday. There are only three district matches remaining.

“Honestly, it’s going to play out,” Aleshire said. “Last year it was a three-way tie. I just want us to keep doing what we are doing and hopefully we will win out, but we will see.”

The Little Giants took advantage of key Stuarts Draft errors and also put together a strong game on the front line in the first game to take a 25-16 win, but in the second the Cougars began to find the momentum.

“We missed serves and didn’t get into a rhythm,” said Draft coach Kami Meeteer. “Those fifth games are tight. When they are that short, it’s tough.”

Waynesboro never spread the lead by more than three points in the game, and when McKenna Carter blocked Rachel Binda, the game was tied at 22.

Binda answered with a block of her own to give Waynesboro the lead and Taylor DeWitt opened the gap with an ace. After a quick Draft point, Binda sealed the game by lightly slipping the ball over the Draft blockers into an open hole.

Draft took control of the match in the third game, taking a four point 24-20 lead after a pair of Waynesboro miscues and took advantage of one more for the game point at 25-21.

In the fourth, Waynesboro was still looking for its groove, allowing Erin Brown to open the game with an ace, then finish it with three more for a 25-19 win.

Binda finished the match with 20 kills and five blocks. DeWitt contributed 31 assists for the Little Giants and Toya Diggs led the Giants’ defense with 34 digs.

Chayla Burkholder led Draft with 13 kills and Ariel Christy and Emmy Blacka each had seven kills. Brown finished with five aces and 20 assists.