Muskies rally past Electrics in MVL first-place battle

NEW CONCORD — Philo was one set away from controlling its destiny in the Muskingum Valley League volleyball race.

But, John Glenn wasn't going to let that happen on its home floor Tuesday.

The Muskies overcame a two-set deficit to top the Electrics 23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-16, 15-13 in a clash of first-place MVL squads.

The victory puts John Glenn on top of the league standings at 11-1, while Philo falls to 11-2. Both teams are 16-2 overall, as the Muskies travel to second-place Maysville on Thursday.

Brooke Fatheree totaled 25 kills, 22 digs, five aces and three blocks, Maddie McGee added 15 kills, six aces, eight digs and two blocks, Erin Dickson tallied 43 assists with 11 digs, three blocks and 100-percent serving and Quinci Jones was 100-percent serving with 24 digs to lead the John Glenn effort.

Maddie Clayton had 17 kills and five blocks, Hannah Allen collected 24 assists and five digs and Sierra Peyton added seven digs and three aces for Philo.

The second meeting started much like the first, as Philo used key runs to claim the first two sets. The Electrics scored five of the final eight points in the first set and scored three straight points to break up a 17-all tie, as Hunter Barnes and Clayton had crucial kills to help capture the second set.

John Glenn was able to use a three-point run to take a 10-8 lead in the third set, a lead it would not relinquish as Fatheree's kill forced a fourth set.

The momentum carried over the Muskies. They built a 9-3 lead in the fourth set, and McGee served a pair of aces later in the set to extend the lead to 17-5 to secure a fifth and final set.

"When we built a big lead in the fourth set, I knew we had the momentum," John Glenn coach Christie McGee said. "We were able to relax and play our game, and we kept them out of their system. We wanted to keep the ball out of their setter's hands."

The fifth set saw Philo build leads of 5-3 and 8-6.

After a timeout, the Muskies scored five straight, including an ace from McGee and a kill by Fatheree, to take an 11-8 lead.

The Electrics pulled within one point three times, including 14-13, but Fatheree hit a kill to seal the comeback victory.

Unlike the first meeting controlled by Philo, John Glenn had chances to win each set.

McGee credited the Muskies for controlling what they could.

"We had a better focus on what we wanted to do and didn't have many long runs of mistakes," she said. "The first time, we were more worried about what they were doing. This time, we focused on taking care of our business and what we were doing."

Mollie Founds also added four kills, 3.5 blocks and six digs, Mara Leach had 13 digs, Lauren Sherry chipped in four kills and 3.5 blocks, Alexa Harshbarger was 100-percent serving and Gabbi Blair had four assists and six digs for the Muskies.

John Glenn reserves (11-1, 12-3) defeated Philo (5-8, 6-12) by a score of 17-25, 25-21, 25-16. Haley Matheney had seven kills and 18 digs, Carleigh Ludwig 10 assists and 15 digs and Jenna Babcock six kills and four blocks for the Muskies. No leaders were available for Philo.

bhannahs@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

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Twitter: @brandonhannahs