Hometown Girls Volleyball Recap – West Allegheny Indians – 10/01/2015

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, October 1, 2015 | 11:08 PM

In a pivotal clash in Class AAA Section 5, the Moon Tigers outlasted the West Allegheny Indians 3-1. Moon captured the match by the score of 24-26, 25-20, 25-23 and 25-17. With the triumph, Moon improves to 5-2 in the section, while West Allegheny falls to 3-4, and now faces an uphill climb to qualify for the postseason.

Playing in front of a raucous crowd during pink-out night to raise awareness of breast cancer, the host Indians got off to a hot start, as they surged to a 7-2 lead in the opening set. The Tigers trimmed their deficit several times, including pulling within one, at 16-15, and deadlocking the contest at 24-24. Moon could never gain the lead in the opening stanza, though, as West Allegheny notched consecutive points to take the first set.

The second set started in a similar fashion, as again the Indians held the lead. Moon battled back to knot the set several times, though, and ultimately used an 8-2 run to take the set and even the match.

In what proved to be the decisive third set, the Tigers turned the tables by gaining a lead from the start, and held that advantage for the majority of the set. The Indians showed their resiliency, though, and pulled ahead with a late surge. Up 23-21, the Indians could not seal the deal, however, as the Tigers scored four straight points to win the set and take command of the match.

The fourth and final set belonged to Moon, as the Tigers gained a lead which ballooned to as many as seven points, at 16-9. Although West Allegheny mounted one last gasp at a comeback, it was to no avail, as the Indians could get no closer than within two points. A 5-1 run to conclude the set sealed the outcome for Moon.

In the setback, the Indians received impressive performances for an array of players, especially senior libero Alyssa Placha, who displayed her talents both defensively and on the service line. Fellow senior Lauryn Long, as well as juniors Allison Koester and Julia Falcioni, also enjoyed strong efforts in the defeat.

Conversely, senior Haley Sims paced the Tigers’ attack, while Madison Taylor, Ashley Sleva and Emily Padgett also made key contributions in the triumph for Moon.

Tags: West Allegheny