Lady Cats Swept in Malta, Thump Conrad at Home
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Lady Cat senior Mylah Rider had a solid game Saturday in the Lady Cats sweep of the Conrad Cowgirls recording seven Kills in the win.
The Harlem LadyCat Volleyball team was in Malta on Thursday for a District 2B match up with the M-ettes. Harlem never was able to get going falling in straight sets 25-6, 25-16 and 25-17. Saturday afternoon they were home to take on the Conrad Cowgirls, sweeping the visitors 25-23, 26-24 and 25-22.
From the opening serve until the final ball hit the floor the Lady Cats just didn't have it against the M-ettes Thursday in Malta. Harlem struggled mightily in the opening set, falling 25-6. The team played a little better in sets two and three dropping both 25-16 and 25-17.
Head Coach Kim Faulkinberry switched things up prior to their match Saturday with the Conrad Cowgirls and boy did they respond. After starting off in a bit of a hole, trailing 10-5, the Lady Cats started to click. Senior Ma'Lea Moore took a perfect set from sophomore Raelynne Briere to hammer down a big point and start a Lady Cat rally.
Senior Mylah Rider dribbled an attack over the net for a point. Moore followed with a little lob to help the Lady Cats inch closer. The Cowgirls committed a hitting error to even the score at 13-13 leading to a timeout.
Rider the set up Briere for the Kill powering one straight down the middle to give Harlem their first lead 15-14. The teams traded points until junior Emma Billmayer connected for a nice kill to even the set at 22-22. Junior Kaitlynn Johnson added a Kill of her own and a big block at the net from Rider powered the Lady Cats to a 25-23 opening set win.
Set number two was another evenly played battle between the two Northern B teams. Senior Jessica King found an empty spot in the Conrad defense with a sweet little tip to give Harlem a 7-6 lead early. The Cowgirls responded with a run of their own to take a 15-10 lead over the Lady Cats.
Rider again came up big with a block at the net, but Conrad retained the momentum and pushed the lead to 22-13. The Lady Cats dug deep and mounted a huge rally to close out the set. King ended a long volley with a Kill, Briere won a battle at the net and a cross court Kill from King brought the Lady Cats within one at 21-22. Johnson evened the set at 24-24 with a Kill of her own and sophomore Aaraya Mount ended it with an Ace to give the set win to Harlem 26-24.
With momentum clearly on their side the Lady Cats were looking to start fast in set number three. Briere hammered down a Kill to put Harlem on top 8-3. Moore later slammed home a Kill off the fingertips of the Cowgirl blocker for a 13-7 Lady Cat Advantage.
The Cowgirls weren't done yet and started to inch their way back into the set, closing the gap to 14-12 midway through. King then made a long cross court set to Johnson for a big Kill to stall the Cowgirl momentum. Mount served up another Ace, Billmayer added a Kill moments later pushing the Harlem lead back to five, 19-14.
Conrad again battled back but the Lady Cats would have the final say. Briere set Moore for a Kill and then connected with Rider for another to open up a three point lead late. The Cowgirls would serve the final point into the net giving Harlem a 25-22 third set win and the match 3-0. The Lady Cats stayed on point all match long in earning the win.
Moore paced the Lady Cats offensively with eight Kills in the win. Rider added seven more to go along with five apiece from King and Billmayer. Briere and King each set the hitters up with nine Assists each. Briere dug up 17 balls to lead the defense. King added 14 and Billmayer 13 to keep the ball alive.
Head Coach Kim Faulkinberry was thrilled with her team's performance, "We implemented a new rotation during practice yesterday (Friday) after a rough Thursday night. The girls responded so well and really developed some positive team chemistry." Faulkinberry went on to say, "The girls had to overcome a pretty large deficit, I think about eight points. They did that by consistent serving and much improved passing. The girls felt so much more comfortable in this lineup!"
The Lady Cats will be home to take on the North Country Mavericks on Thursday and the head out on the road Tuesday to take on the Rocky Boy Morning Stars.
