CROTHERSVILLE
New Washington bested Crothersville 25-17, 27-25, 25-19 Monday in a Southern Athletic Conference match.
CHS struggled to find its rhythm in the opening set.
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Up 7-6, the Mustangs strung together six straight points to build the lead seven. Later in the set, the Mustangs used a 5-0 run to lead 19-10 before closing it at 25-17.
In a roller coaster second set, the Mustangs gutted it out.
After tying the score four times, the Tigers built an 11-7 advantage. the Tigers then used a trio of mini runs to build the advantage to 24-20.
The Mustangs then survived four straight set points, clawing back to take a 25-24 lead, before closing the set at 27-25.
New Wash carried its momentum into the third set, using a 10-0 run to lead 12-2.
The Mustangs led 20-10 before a CHS rally. Despite narrowing the deficit to 22-17, the Tigers couldn’t make the comeback.
“They played so well in the second,” Tigers coach Kourtney Settle said. “I told them in the locker room how they can have their offensive and defensive games on the same night. Lately, we have been having a game where we are playing well offensively and our defense isn’t great or vise-versa. They just need to figure out how to make it click on both sides.”
Maddie Riley led the Tigers (9-12) with five of the team’s six aces, had nine digs and also went 29-for-35 with 12 kills. Bekah Cook had four kills for the Tigers and Kaitlin McVey totaled 13 digs.
Prior to the game, the Tigers recognized Riley, McVey and Cassie Defibaugh for senior night.
“Maddie has been a huge part of the program. She has been helping the varsity since she was a freshman,” Settle said. “Kaitlin has improved so much. She has really helped the team out this year. Cassie, this is her first year and I’m really happy that she came out. I appreciated how hard she worked for me. They will all be missed.”
The Tigers will host Lanesville on Thursday to conclude regular season play before going to next week’s sectional at West Washington.