Grafton turns back Lady Trojans in 5-set marathon

Lady Trojan Millie Rudolph (10) leaps for a blocking attempt on a spike by Grafton’s Kendall Mahony.

Alan Chamberlain photo

Five points away from closing out the match and registering a win over perennial volleyball powerhouse Grafton, New Kent’s host Lady Trojans found it difficult to seal the deal. In fact, they did not.

Down two games to one in the best-of-five affair, the Clippers overcame a 20-18 deficit in the fourth set with six unanswered points to force a decisive fifth game. New Kent fell behind 8-4 early in set five, managed to tie at 8-8, but could not get over the hump. Grafton escaped with an 18-25, 25-15, 22-25, 25-22, 15-10 triumph.

“I felt like [Grafton] put more pressure on us than we put on them,” said Lady Trojan coach Cyndi Burnett after her team fell to 5-3.

“When their hits didn’t work, they went to dinks and that was hurting us,” she said.

With her team lacking the powerful front line hitters from a year ago thanks to graduation, Burnett is relying on two newcomers, sophomore Sydney Griffith up from JV and senior D’aysa Jones who rode the bench last year, to lead the Lady Trojan attack.

Both made an impact. The pair benefitted from most of setter Gina Sledd’s 38 assists to pound a combined 23 kills (Griffith 12, Jones 11) through the Clipper defense.

Unfortunately, the taller Clipper front line prevailed after a slow start.

“We miss our big hitters from last year, and we knew that coming into this year,” said Burnett. “But some of our new players are stepping up.”

The opening set belonged to New Kent. A Jones kill opened a 20-7 lead before Grafton managed a mild rally to make the opening score more respectable. The visitors, however, carried the newfound momentum into the second set to even the match. Then New Kent took over in set three, again turning back a late Clipper rally before a Griffith shot into an open corner placed the hosts a set away from the win.

Grafton built a three-point lead in the fourth set, but the hosts quickly closed, moving in front 13-12 on a Skylar Cossaboon ace. The hosts appeared able to hold on, but a 20-18 lead evaporated as a kill from Clipper middle hitter Kendall Mahony launched the run that forced the fifth set.

On defense, Cossaboon led the Lady Trojans with 15 digs.