ERIE — The Humboldt Lady Cubs swept Monday’s triangular in Erie, but not without a late challenge from an old rival.
After some stiff competition in the opening match against Yates Center, the Lady Cubs finally subdued the Wildcats in a two-set sweep. Humboldt also swept the hosts Erie, but the Tri-Valley League rival offered another tough challenge in the second set.
After handily defeating Yates Center just weeks earlier, the Lady Cubs had their hands full with the Wildcats early in the first set Both teams traded blow-for-blow until a block by Humboldt freshman Hadlee Allen and an ace by teammate Bailey Daniels set up match point. An errant Yates Center shot ended the first set with Humboldt ahead, 25-21.
Humboldt jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second set with a kill by senior Lakyn Meadows, and a Daniels ace poured on the points from there. A Yates Center net ball set up match point, then an ace by junior Addisyn Drake sealed the Lady Cubs’ first win of the night.
“Our coverage was great and when we got good blocks it really kept us going,” said Ellis, who tied Drake for the team lead in kills with 10 each and had a team-leading six aces.
If the Lady Cubs thought they were in for an easy night against Erie, they were sorely mistaken. After losing the first set 25-11, the Red Devils found their groove and took the second set to 20-20. A pair of tips by Allen eventually gave Humboldt a 25-24 lead, then Drake ended her second match of the evening. This time, though, it came from the net with a kill.
“It was a little slow at the start, but we pulled together and had some good teamwork and finished out strong,” said Drake, who tied Ellis for the team lead in kills with 10 each. “I’m grateful to have teammates who have my back. They had some hard hitters, but we figured them out and eventually pulled through.”
“Our serving was not as aggressive in the first set as it was in the second, but they (Erie) came back and battled with us,” Humboldt coach Terry Meadows said. “They were ahead toward the end before we gutted it out. We just had to reset and have the mentality to pass the ball and get kills out of it—not just give it to them easily.”
With the win and the Lady Cubs’ third-place run at the Burlington Invitational over the weekend, Humboldt boasts a record of 19-7. They hope to add a few more wins while hosting Riverton and St. Paul Thursday. First serve is at 5 p.m.
Yates Center makes strong first impression
Although Monday’s three-set victory against Erie will not count in the Three Rivers League standings, Yates Center coach Carrie Cummings believes it made a strong impression on the Red Devils. The teams will meet again next Tuesday in a triangular with Central Heights.
The Wildcats took the first set, 25-21, but fell to Erie in the second, 25-16. Tied 10-10 in the third set, kills by freshman outside hitter Harper Morrison, sophomore setter Loryn Kress and a block by senior middle hitter Jaylynn Birk gave Yates Center a 4-point advantage. A kill by senior outside hitter Cayten Cummings and an ace by Morrison set up match point and a net ball sealed the win.
“Hopefully we can do it in two (sets) next week instead of having to go to three,” Cummings said. “We got through the first set really well, but we let our foot off the gas a little bit (in the second set), and you can’t do that. You have to keep it on the accelerator. We lost, but we came back and kept on firing. It was Loryn Kress’ sets and Harper Morrison serves that got us back in to win that game.”
“I was excited. We can definitely beat Humboldt, and Cayten gave me some amazing sets,” said Morrison, who seemed to be the Wildcats’ primary point of attack.
Another Wildcats making a statement Monday was freshman middle hitter Ella Cummings, who saw her first action since suffering an ankle injury at the Uniontown Preseason Tournament in August. Entering late against Humboldt, she scored on a push shot to stave off match point and hopes that’s just the first of more scores to come this season.
“I was nervous at first, but they trusted me and gave me the ball,” said Cummings, who is the cousin of senior outside hitter Cayten Cummings. “It was iffy, but I’m proud of myself for coming in.”
