(Sidney, IA) – The Sidney Cowgirls were able to beat the Griswold Tigers in five sets of volleyball action as the match went all the way down to the wire. Griswold took the second and third sets of action as it looked like they were going to be able to take the entire match until Sidney came back and fought to the very end.
In the first set of action, Sidney took an early lead as the Cowgirls relied on Eve Brumsbaugh and Lilly Peters as they were both the driving forces in the entire match. Sidney ended up taking the first set 25-22 overall as they were able to keep Griswold on hold, even after the Tigers made a run late in the first set.
The second set saw Griswold get off to a 7-0 run to start things off over Sidney. After the Tigers realized the open spots in the back row, Griswold continued to dominate in the middle of the set. After Sidney went on a late run from the back row play of Gabi Jacobs, the Tigers were able to put them back down and take the set 25-21.
For Griswold, the third set went their way. The Tigers were led in the back row by the impressive play of Whitney Pennock as she cleaned up everything in the back row and continued to keep the serving game in the right direction. Gabbie Greiman was also a big impact in the middle as she continued to enforce the blocking game and helped in the quick sets in the middle against the Cowgirls. The Tigers ended up with a third-set win 25-20.
Set four saw a turn of events, as Sidney started with another early run. Fallon Sheldon helped in her serving and in the front-row play that she brought to the table in both the hitting and blocking games. Setter Addyson Foster was able to put together a great performance in the front row in set four, allowing the Cowgirls to run the offense on the strong side. The fourth set was a Sidney victory 25-19.
In the fifth and final set of action, Griswold started off on a good run as they went up by two, after back-and-forth play from both squads. Griswold continued to rely on the outside hitting of R’Nya Kirchhoff as she hit well out of the strong side all night long. Sidney was able to continue the blocking game and great defense from both Gabi Jacobs and Camdyn Hayes in the back row to help top the Tigers in the fifth set. Sidney won the fifth set 19-17 in one of the tightest matches all season.
Looking into the recorded stats on the night, Griswold was led by Gabbie Greiman with 20 kills followed up by R’Nya Kirchhoff with 12 and Marissa Askeland with 15. Askeland had five aces while Pennock, Kirchhoff, and Addison Adams also earned one each. Carolina Arcia had a total of 47 assists on the night. Whitney Pennock broke the Griswold school record in digs as she picked up 59 on the night to put her to a total of 484 digs this season. Arcia also helped in the back row with 31 digs followed by Kirchhoff with 22.
For the Sidney Cowgirls, Eve Brumbaugh led in kills with 17 and was followed by Lilly Peters with 12 kills and two aces. Fallon Sheldon earned 10 kills on the night, one of her career highs this season. Both Myler Maher and Ashlee Moseley earned two kills on the night to add to the stat sheet. Libero Gabi Jacobs earned three aces and continued to hold the back row on the night.
Sidney continues to lead the series 18-4 overall and has held a winning streak over the Tigers since 2014. Sidney will travel to Lewis Central to play in their volleyball tournament this weekend. Griswold will wait to play on Monday while they take on Fremont Mills in the first matchup on Monday.
(Click here to watch the Griswold Tigers and Sidney Cowgirls)
