Mount Greylock Earns Three-Set Win over Mount Everett
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- It is going to be a short season for area volleyball teams.
Or it has already been a long one, depending whether that team had a practice program during the fall.
The Mount Greylock squad did, and it made the most of it.
"The team's really got a good chemistry," Mounties coach Greg Geyer said.
"I think it started in the fall. I think it was nice that we had the fall season. I really appreciate that Mount Greylock was able to provide the space. And it all started in the fall."
The "Fall 1" practice time has translated to a quick start to "Fall 2" that includes Monday's 25-16, 25-11, 25-14 win over Mount Everett in the Mounties' home opener.
Takiera Darrow registered 15 kills, and Emma Hayward recorded 11 aces -- several in a 12-point third-set service run to put the match away.
"She's definitely one of our top servers," Darrow said. "She has a great jump serve. She knows where to put the ball. So people have a hard time returning it."
As productive as the autumn's practice schedule was for Mount Greylock, it was welcome news this winter when the Mounties found out they would have a chance to play competitive matches against their Berkshire County rivals.
"We were really excited," Darrow said. "We were lucky with our team. We've got a lot of new members, but our chemistry is great so far. We've only had two matches, but we have another one on Wednesday, and I hope it goes well."
Darrow, a junior, dominated at the net to help Mount Greylock move to 2-0 in the 2020-21 season.
Freshman Celina Savage added five kills, and the Mounties got three kills apiece from junior Emma Sandstrom and eighth-graders Charlotte Coody and Madison MacHaffie.
Coody also had 24 assists in the win.
Mount Greylock opened its first lead of the night on MacHaffie's serve in the first set. She served five straight points to get the margin to 12-8.
Freshman Jacqueline Brannan's kill set up set point.
In the second set, Alyssa Phelps (eight aces) ended things early with a eight-point run on her serve. She took the ball with the Mounties up, 17-11, and did not give it up until after Darrow's kill to put the Mounties up, 2-0, in the match.
Mount Everett made its best run at getting back into the match midway through the third set, when Nadia Makuc served three points in a run that included an ace to put the Eagles (0-2) up, 10-6.
But two rotations later, the serve got to Mount Greylock libero Hayward, who delivered seven serves that the Eagles could not return in the decisive 12-point run that erased a one-point deficit and put the Mounties up by as many as 10.
Emma Sandstrom went to the service line with her team up, 23-14, and a dink by MacHaffie and an ace by Sandstrom ended the match.
"It was a nice first home game for us," Darrow said. "It was definitely harder in the third set, though, without fans. There wasn't anyone cheering for us, and even ourselves, we had lost energy.
"But as we got back into it, halfway through the set, we kind of took it back. And it was definitely a good day."
Mount Everett hosts Monument Mountain on Tuesday. Mount Greylock hosts Lenox on Wednesday.