The Lady Pioneers took down 2016 state qualifier Edmond North on its home opener. They swept the Lady Huskies, 3-0, but only won all three sets by a combined nine points. Stillwater won 28-26, 25-23 and 25-20.
“It’s still not what we want, but we won,” SHS coach Zoe Stinchcomb said. “We’re still looking for a little bit more from our serve receive and defensive front. Offense wasn’t our strong suit tonight, when usually it is, but we’ll figure it all out.”
The emotion and joy on the faces of the Stillwater players after the match spoke volumes about the win, which improved Stillwater’s record to 2-0 after it won at OBA on Tuesday.
“It was totally exciting, because we haven’t beaten Edmond North in a while,” SHS junior Audrey Riley said. “We could have done better. We kind of trailed off and went into cruise control. I think the important thing is we’re starting to play as a team together and trusting each other more. That’s probably the most important part.”
SHS senior Neely Holt agreed.
“That was exciting,” Holt said. “It was a long time coming. We haven’t been able to beat Edmond North, so it was nice to get the win.”
The match ended with a bit of controversy. With Stillwater leading 24-20, Edmond North served and SHS sophomore setter McKenzie Vilade passed to junior Morgan Shamblin, but the pass was too close to the net. An Edmond North player jumped and spiked the ball on Stillwater’s side of the net and began to celebrate with her teammates.
However, the head official ruled the Lady Husky touched the net, resulting in a violation. Stillwater was awarded the point, thus taking the final point. The Lady Pioneers slowly realized what had happened and begin to celebrate as the Lady Huskies coach showed her displeasure for the call.
“This win gives us a lot of confidence,” Riley said. “It lets us know that we can do it and we’re right there, but the most important thing is to not let it get to our heads, so that we keep pushing and know we have to work for it instead of going through the motions.”
Stillwater took control of the third set with a 5-0 run early, after falling behind 6-4. The run began with a kill from senior Orianna Clements. It continued with an EN miscue, kills from Audrey Riley and Neely Holt and capped off with a Holt block.
The Lady Pioneers never trailed again. However, the slow start after winning the first two sets, wasn’t quite was Stinchcomb was looking for from her squad, but she remained happy as the team chemistry continues to blossom.
“We’re starting to trust each other,” Stinchcomb said. “We’re learning where everybody is at and we’re figuring each other out.”
The first two sets were nip and tuck for their entirety. Neither team led by more than three points in the first set.
Stillwater used a 3-0 run late in the match to take a 21-19 advantage. A kill from Riley and two EN mistakes made that run possible. However, EN used an ensuing 3-0 spurt to gain the lead back from Stillwater.
Both squads traded points until Stillwater found itself facing set point with the Lady Huskies serving. A Clements tip over the net tied the set before a Vilade ace gave Stillwater a one-point advantage.
However, two-straight Lady Huskies’ points on a kill and net violation gave EN the chance at set point again. The serve went long. The next two points went to Stillwater as Holt recorded a block and junior Jazzmin Kloos ended the set with a kill.
“It was super important to win that one, because it gave us the realization that we can, but we’re going to have to work for it,” Riley said. “We work harder the two last sets, but we could have done better. It definitely woke us up.”
The Lady Pioneers were leading the second set when they took control of it with a 6-1 run, which was sparked by kills from Shamblin and Riley. Their 17-9 lead began to disappear as they began making unforced errors.
Stillwater went four straight points without an attack at the net, which resulted in the Lady Huskies closing the gap at 19-18. The set was tied at 22 when the Lady Huskies hit out of bounds and Kloos served an ace. The last point of the set was a Lady Huskies attack that sailed out of bounds.
“They’re great, well-rounded players,” Stinchcomb said of Kloos and Riley, “but they are hard on themselves. They’re great players and they both have great futures ahead.”
She was also quite happy with her sophomore setters – Lauren Phillips and Vilade.
“Fabulous,” Stinchcomb said. “No complaints at all. They did awesome.”
The Lady Pioneers will be back in action Saturday at Broken Arrow when... Click here to read full article
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