WAXHAW – The Nation Ford girls’ volleyball team got a big early season win over the Marvin Ridge Mavericks in four sets Tuesday.
Marvin Ridge was coming off winning their second tournament of the season, most recently at Myrtle Beach after winning the North-South Invitational in Rock Hill to open the season. Marvin Ridge is ranked eighth in North Carolina in all classifications.
Nation Ford won 3-1 (25-15, 25-17, 21-25, 25-22) as head coach Craig Brown said it showed his team what they can do without the type of superstar players they have had in the past. Nation Ford is now 6-1 on the season.
“It is a lot about the team,” he said. “They are buying into the team. We spread things out. I am proud of how this team played.”
The Lady Falcons came out with nothing to lose and took the fight to Marvin Ridge. The Mavericks scored first, but Nation Ford kept up with them point for point through the first four points and then took a 9-4 lead before Marvin Ridge took a timeout.
Nation Ford extended their lead to 16-6 and took command of the first set. While the Mavericks kept within striking distance, the Falcons never lost their strong lead taking the first set 25-15.
Nation Ford started the second set scoring the first three points. Marvin Ridge refocused some and was able to keep it close early as Nation Ford took a small 8-6 lead.
The Falcons play got better as the second set went on and they went up 14-7. Nation Ford was strong at the net using their height to get kills and keep points alive.
Despite early struggles, the Mavericks stayed calm and focused as they slowly started to climb back into the second set. Marvin Ridge pulled within four at 18-14, but Nation Ford again regrouped and started to pull away scoring five of the next seven points. The Falcons would close out the set winning 25-17.
The third set started a little closer as both teams traded points through the first 18 points, before Nation Ford went up 11-9.
Marvin Ridge started getting more aggressive at the net and went up 15-12 attacking and getting kills. Those kills helped to switch the momentum in the set as it led to the Falcons making mistakes more frequently.
Nation Ford took a timeout trailing 21-17 to try and regroup. The Falcons came out and scored three of the next five points forcing Marvin Ridge into a timeout. The Mavericks would go on to win the set 25-21 to get back into the match.
The fourth set saw Marvin Ridge gain a small 4-2 lead at the start. Nation Ford came back to tie it at five and then started controlling their serves to take an 11-7 lead.
The Mavericks came back to tie the set at 13 before a timeout as the two teams started to trade points again. That continued until Nation Ford took a 20-18 lead and Marvin Ridge took a timeout. The Falcons continued to control things out of the timeout as they would go on to win the set 25-22 and the match.
Aug. 27 Roundup
The Fort Mill girls golf team beat Nation Ford in a head-to-head match at Tega Cay Golf Club 181-184. Fort Mill is now 2-0 on the season, while Nation Ford dropped to 1-2. Leading Fort Mill was Sam Benton with a 43. She was followed with a 44 from Claire Collins and a 45 from Ava Starosky. Olivia Seifast finished out the scoring with a 49 for Fort Mill. Nation Ford was led by a 39 from Sara McCaskill. Piper Sabino shot a 45 and both Katie Griggs and Hadley Mark had rounds of 50.
The Catawba Ridge girls golf team beat Indian Land at Edgewater Golf Club Tuesday. The Copperheads won 162-177 as Brooke Mehlhouse shot a 37 to lead Catawba Ridge. Reagan Lynch fired a 38 and Anjali Peddisetty shot a 41 for the Copperheads. Jordan Lyons finished the scoring with a 46 for Catawba Ridge who improved to 2-0 on the season.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
