PG falls in close contest
Bodies were flying, the rallies were long and the intensity matched a state playoff game Tuesday night at Hawk Gym as Mount Pleasant held on for a 25-20, 25-20, 17-25, 23-25, 15-10 win over Pleasant Grove.
Mount Pleasant’s Sophie Sanchez’s 47 digs and 17 service points, and Precious Thompson’s 17 kills and 25 digs eventually proved too much for the Lady Hawks, who fell behind early, battled back to tie the match only to see it slip through their talons in the final minutes.
Neither team wanted to let this one get away, diving for balls and battling at the net all night.
“We played our game tonight,” said Mount Pleasant coach Jeremy Stewart. “We don’t have the athletes to overpower people, but we’re scrappy. We played clean ball. As long as we play clean, we’re OK.”
Pleasant Grove left the gym with a few regrets, a fumble here, striking or running into balls headed out of bounds there, made all the difference. After fighting to win the fourth set, which had six lead changes and was tied eight times, PG stumbled out of the gate in the deciding set and was down 8-1 in what seemed like moments.
“We made so many little errors that it got in our heads and we couldn’t execute,” said Hawk coach Amy Collvins. “We have to learn to finish.”
Britton Anderson led the Hawks with 12 kills and Carley Barrett had seven. Anna Miller had 13 assists and Nakina Levingston had 10 blocks.
Even after falling behind by seven in the final set, PG battled back, pulling within two after Brette Wacha battled Mount Pleasant’s front line at the net, trading blocks before the ball fell to the floor on the Lady Tigers’ side. Barrett followed with a spike, and Wacha softly tipped a shot into an empty zone.
A couple of thunderous spikes by Thompson, however, led a final rally that gave Mount Pleasant (12-9) the match.
Mount Pleasant’s junior varsity swept PG, 26-24, 25-21.
Pleasant Grove’s ninth grade swept the Tigers 25-5, 25-13. Shannon Lee had 11 points and Mary Old nine to lead the Hawks.