Backs against the wall, Griswold rallies to eliminate Essex in five

Tigers fight out of 0-2 hole to knock off Essex, will face No. 6 ranked Stanton next

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Oct. 30, 2013

GRISWOLD – There is no clock in volleyball, and every point needs to be earned.

Griswold proved that Tuesday night with a wild five-set victory over visiting Essex in which the Tigers fought back from an 0-2 deficit and forced the match into going the distance.

Once things were leveled and the pivotal fifth game arrived, the momentum rest clearly on the Tigers’ side, and they seized upon it. Griswold raced onward to 15 points ahead of floundering Essex, taking the match and moving into the third round of the playoffs.

Griswold took the match 24-26, 18-25, 25-14, 25-16 and 15-12.

“We started out just a little out of sync,” Griswold coach Jody Rossell says. “But volleyball is such a game of momentum, and once we got it there in the third set, we kept it rolling.”

A seesaw opening set went long, and in the second set, Griswold fell behind further with hitting errors and a floor demeanor that was not up to par.

But in the third set with their backs against the wall, the Tigers began chopping wood. Griswold raced out to a 9-2 lead and comfortably won the set 25-17.

Set four went much the same way, with Griswold leading 9-1, then 14-2 before finishing off the Trojanettes 25-17 again. 

“I felt like we started attacking better, especially attacking their weaknesses,” coach Rossell says. “It’s amazing how getting two or three or four points in a row can really turn the momentum in a game, and that really worked in our favor late in this match.”

From the service line, Candace Howell led the team with six aces, and Marlia Rossell added five. Sophomore Reagan Whitehill added four serving aces, and three of them came in a row at a crucial time in the fifth set to give the Tigers the advantage for good.

At the net, Howell finished with a season-high 18 kills. Defensively, Morgan Godwin finished with 13 digs and Rossell chipped in 11. Rossell also led the tam with 16 assists, and Kayla Kirchhoff added 14 for the Tigers.

With the victory, Griswold improves its record to 11-14 on the season, and the Tigers advance along the tournament trail towards Friday’s Region 3 semifinal at Stanton. The No. 6-ranked Viqueens swept Bedford rather convincingly Tuesday night, and the Tigers know they will have their hands full in the next round.

“We’ve been trying not to look too far ahead to Stanton, but all the time knowing that that is who we hope to get to,” coach Rossell says. “We know that Stanton is a great team that has had a great season, and we need to play our best ball. But, if we do, then I think they are completely beatable…if we play our best game. We are looking forward to it.”

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