By Andrew Barton
Courtesy of WaveRunnerPKY.com
The Gainesville High School Hurricanes stay unbeaten after an impressive 3-1 win against the Blue Wave of P.K. Yonge in a volleyball classic on Thursday night at GHS.
Prior to the game, GHS head coach Marshay Greenlee stated her expectations.
“I expect them (PK Yonge) to give their full effort, work hard, and expect them to give an intense match,” she said.
Both teams did just that, with GHS starting the first set strong and immediately setting the tone. It seemed like the student section was getting louder each point. Gainesville went on to win the set, 25-21.
Everything was clicking for the Hurricanes (3-0), whether it was kills, aces, or assists.
The Hurricanes never let up as they took an early lead in the second set. However the Blue Wave did not give up until the very last whistle. After some outstanding serving from Sarah Berto and attacking from Tiffany Reccoppa, the Hurricanes won the second set, 24-26
P.K. Yonge knew they had to fight back and score points against a talented team while facing a rowdy crowd.
With this being the match set for the Hurricanes, P.K started the third set powerful. Junior Tirzah Parker led the way with kills while Senior Cameron Childs dominated getting saves. The Blue Wave went on to win 25-21 to make the match 2-1.
Assists ultimately helped the Hurricanes clinch the win, as GHS won the fourth set, 25-22.
Over the four sets, they had a total of 38 assists and Tiffany Recoppa ending the day with 20 kills.
Teamwork, communication, and fundamentals are what the Hurricanes relied on to win the match. GHS seems to have all the factors in place, which will lead to a great season.
The Lady Wave (2-3) came into this game looking to regain their momentum after back to back loses but came up short. There are still things to work on, but they are learning from their mistakes and improving.
“We need to stick together and have more communication,” said Blue Wave sophomore Taylor Doering. “We need to stop letting teams come back when we are in the lead. I think working on blocking a lot has really helped us improve and now we just need to tie it all together with our back row.”
The future is bright for both teams on their different roads to success.
Gainesville will host Forest (Ocala) on Tuesday, while P.K. Yonge will travel to Forest on Wednesday.
