Volleyball conquers No. 2 Scottsdale in a thrilling match Friday night
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scottsdale Community College (0-1, 0-1) | 25 | 25 | 26 | 21 | 13 | 2 |
|
Mesa Community College (1-0, 1-0) | 27 | 16 | 24 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Scottsdale Community College
| Game Statistics | Scottsdale Community College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .106 | .121 |
| Blocks | 6.0 | 11.0 |
| Digs | 133 | 135 |
| Aces | 12 | 6 |
Saturday August 24, 2024 - 10:00 a.m. | Dylan DeVlieger
MCC Women's Volleyball pulled off what may be the biggest win in program history on Friday night as the Lady T-Birds beat No. 2 Scottsdale, 3-2.
Set 1:
Mesa came out with the energy necessary to dethrone the defending Region I champion from the jump in the first set, building a 13-7 lead before Scottsdale showed how poised under pressure they are. The Artichokes would mount a comeback to bring the game to within one, 17-16.
Back and forth both teams traded rallies leading to a 24-24 tie. Mesa would have two opportunities at match point before finally sealing the deal and taking a 1-0 lead.
Set 2:
Mesa again jumped out to a lead over Scottsdale, up 6-3 the T-Birds would falter a bit as SCC outscored them 8-5 before a MCC timeout.
From that point on the No. 2 team in the country would go on a run to swing the momentum in their favor, taking the set 25-16 and tying up the match.
Set 3:
The T-Birds answered back in to start the set, building a 4-0 lead before the Artichokes would answer back and tie the set at eight. Scottsdale would build a comfortable lead and had a chance to put the Birds to bed as they held a 21-15 advantage.
Lesser teams and even previous MCC teams would see the writing on the wall and mail-in the final points, but not the 2024 Lady T-Birds. Mesa would claw their way back and tie the set at 23 all, using the crowd's energy to their advantage.
Unfortunately for Mesa it seemed as if the rally took all the gas they had in the tank as SCC would regain control and take the set 26-24, and lead the match 2-1.
Set 4:
Scottsdale seemed to have taken the wind out of the T-Birds sails after shutting the door on a Mesa rally at the end of the third set. That energy transferred into the fourth set as SCC would lead 5-0 before a Mesa timeout.
Scottsdale would cruise out to a 16-9 lead before Mesa yet again showed their never give up attitude and dug deep.
The T-Birds would rally in a big way, sparked by Marley Avechuco, Mesa would energize themselves and go on a run to tie the set at 17. Back and forth the teams battled and eventually Mesa would overpower the Artichokes and take the win, 25-20 forcing a fifth and final set.
Set 5:
For the fourth time during the contest, Mesa jumped out to another early lead to begin the set scoring the first four points. MCC would work their magic to an 11-6 advantage before SCC would make them sweat as the Artichokes battled back to bring the set to 11-10 before Mesa took a timeout.
During the break head coach Jordan Herrington's message to her team was simple, it's time to close the deal.
"It's time, it's now or never. We looked them in the eyes and they were engaged, at that point the ball could go to anyone and I knew we were going to get the point," said Herrington.
Mesa would allow SCC to tie the set at 11 all but would work up a 14-13 lead before Avechuco would seal the deal with a spike that hammered off a Scottsdale player into the stands, sending the Mesa faithful and bench into a frenzy.
Herrington was impressed with how her freshman stayed so calm and poised during the match. That demeanor may be in part due to the sophomore leadership of Brynlee Barris and Madden Bingham who helped their teammates traverse an extremely crazy opening contest.
"When you look at the sidelines you'll see Madden Bingham running up and down cheering on her team, her and Brynlee Barris both demand excellence and people to step up no matter if you're a freshman or sophomore. I think having that culture and trust in them is huge, we've built that in them early on," said Herrington.
Avechuco, who seemed to be involved in every critical point of the match, credits her teammates for how well she performed in her first JUCO match.
"My teammates really gave me the confidence to play so well, their trust in me allowed me to play loose and really just go out and have fun," said Avechuco.
Mesa will be back in action on Wednesday, August 28 as they hit the road against South Mountain before returning home on Friday to host Ben. U.
PC: Credit - Zac BonDurant
