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‘They’re not quitters’
Photo
Jackson-Milton’s Erica Hughes (19) spikes the ball over Howland’s Megan Papalas (10) for a winner during Monday’s third game at Howland High School. The Bluejays won in three games.
By Ryan Buck
HOWLAND
Trailing 18-9 in Game 2 of a best-of-five volleyball match Monday night at Howland High, Jackson-Milton coach Sue Prozy called timeout. Ahead one game, she needed a spark to get her team back on track.
“We’ll have momentum swings where we’ll get down a little bit,” Prozy said. “They served about seven points on us where it seemed like we just forgot how to pass the ball. We called timeout and said, ‘Listen, we’re better than this, let’s rally around this,’ and they started really playing.”
From there, the Bluejays went on a nine-point run and stole the game.
The Bluejays (8-0) went on to sweep the taller, more aerial Tigers (7-4) in three games, 25-21, 27-25, 25-17.
“This team, more than any team I’ve ever coached, has a lot of heart. Even if we’re down, I have confidence in them that we’re capable of coming back because they’re not quitters,” Prozy said.
Game 1 was tight early as no team led by more than two points until Howland put together a 4-0 run. Erika Airhart’s cross-court spike put the Tigers ahead 14-11.
Jackson-Milton killed the rally on the next point and made a run of its own.
The Bluejays’ 5-0 sequence gave them a 19-17 lead. Service from Taylor and Gabrielle Tharp in the game’s latter stages led to the four-point win.
Prozy emphasized the importance of taking the second game.
“Whatever the deficit is — we were down at one point in that second game nine points — and we overcame that and fought to get back into it,” she said. “The second game is huge, especially if you win the first one. Then you have control of the game and that’s what I’m always telling the girls over here. If you take control and win that second game, you’re in control of the match. It’s in your hands.”
Senior Rachael Obradovich and junior Erica Hughes were pivotal in the comeback. Both outside hitters recorded four points on spikes in the game, while Hughes’ jump serves hurt Howland.
Obradovich wants to use her knack for big plays to facilitate a strong final season at Jackson-Milton.
“I’m pretty much all over,” Obradovich said. “If someone misses a ball, I try to cover up for them. It’s my senior year, so I want to do the best I can because I don’t think I’m going to go to college for volleyball.”
Howland couldn’t muster another meaningful rally. The Bluejays turned a 7-5 lead in Game 3 into a 15-5 advantage and never looked back.
“Howland is a good volleyball program,” Prozy said. “Anytime you can beat them, that’s a good feeling. A good feeling getting us going into our league play this week. It gives us a little more confidence.”
Prozy’s confidence in Taylor Tharp and her front line negated the Tigers’ athleticism and height advantage with Airhart, Dungan, and Erika Lapmardo.
“They [Howland] were definitely bigger, but I’ve got two really key blockers that — I have them spaced out — cover a lot of ground,” said Prozy. “I put it in their hands, let them get the blocks. I don’t worry about height so much. We play together as a team.”