by Rusty Ellis
The Jackson County Blue Devils defeated District 7-A foe Clarkrange 3-1 on Thursday night, as the two teams battled back-and-forth throughout all four total sets.
In the opening frame, Clarkrange took an early 10-8 lead before the Lady Devils stormed back using an 8-1 run to take a 16-11 advantage. JCHS pushed the lead to as much as 19-12, before the Lady Buffaloes got within four at 20-16. It wasn’t enough for the visitors however, as Jackson County took a 1-0 lead with a 25-23 first-set victory.
Both teams traded 4-0 runs to start the second, and Clarkrange once again took a two-point lead early. After Jackson powered ahead with a 5-1 run to take an 11-9 lead, both teams began trading points until the Lady Devils pushed ahead 22-17. The Lady Devils found themselves within a point of victory at 24-20, but the Lady Buffaloes fought back and tied the match at 24. Neither team was able to put the other away until Jackson won two points in a row to take the set, 30-28.
Facing an uphill battle down 2-0, Clarkrange came out with more energy in the third set and took a 17-13 lead on a Payton Manis kill. The Lady Buffaloes used that energy to get back into the match with a 25-18 victory.
The hosts wouldn’t be denied however, as an Isabelle Beaty kill gave Jackson an 8-5 lead early, and another Beaty kill later pushed the advantage to 15-9. The Lady Devils withstood a furious Clarkrange rally and the Lady Buffaloes looked like they might come back, but JCHS closed out the win with a 25-21 victory in the third set.
For head coach Lucas Martin, the constant effort and energy level was something he’d been wanting to see out of his team all season, and he was thankful for that on Thursday.
“The thing I was most proud of was that we didn’t quit,” Martin said. “We’ve been struggling with that rollercoaster of emotions and the up-and-down level of play. We made some mistakes tonight and thankfully, we powered through it.”
The second set epitomized that notion, as it seemed like every time Jackson County was getting ready to put the set away, Clarkrange would come back with an answer.
“It really was a battle,” Martin said. “There were good hits and there were errors. We’d let them run a few points and then we’d fight back. That’s what made me happy all night, we didn’t quit.”
As far as building on Thursday’s wins, Martin says it’s all about becoming more consistent.
“The key to moving forward is to get a little more consistency,” Martin said. “We want to be smarter with our play, and give up fewer runs to the other team.”
Jackson County will take on Clay County next Tuesday, while Clarkrange will head to Monterey to take on the Lady Wildcats.
