Herders Put up a Fight Against Torrington

There has no quit in the Glenrock High School volleyball team as it continues to leave all it has on the court. 

The group hasn’t seen the wins this season it would have liked but it continues to put up a fight against every foe such as Sept. 29 when they gave Torrington plenty of fits before coming up short in a 25-19, 25-13, 23-25, 25-17 contest.

The Herders didn’t have the same firepower as the Blazers but they made up for it on numerous occasions with defense. That was the difference in winning one set and having a chance to win another which could had sent the match into the different direction.

The first set was up for grabs. The score was tied four times and no lead was greater than five points for either team.

Glenrock jumped out to the first lead thanks to the first ace of the contest from sophomore Caitilyn Williams. Junior Katie Albrandt followed with the first kill of the night to help make it 3-1.

Torrington answered with points on an error and its first hit to tie things up at 4-4. The guests tacked on two more points to take their first lead at 6-4.

The Herders responded with their tenacious defense when junior Megann Farley collected two digs to thwart the attack which led to a 6-6 tie. Torrington’s outside attack didn’t let the lead get away and used two hits to spur a short run and build a 12-7 advantage.

GHS freshman Sheridan Sarvey and Williams slammed back-to-back kills to fuel a rally that got the team back within two points. A THS time-out didn’t stop the rally and the Herders got a pair of saves from senior Kyrie Tiensvold to tie the set again at 16-16.

Glenrock’s fight to pull in front was denied following a service mistake and a couple outside attacks which allowed the Blazers to move back ahead 21-17.  GHS senior Jordyn Survis and Evie Sivage made a handful of stops in the back row but the team couldn’t land another attack as Torrington pulled away for the first win.

It was the Blazers who jumped out to a 3-1 advantage in the second set. So, the Herders rode the defensive talents of Sivage and Williams to help pull even at 4-4.

Unforced errors were costly and three straight hitting miscues allowed the Blazers to go back in front 11-6. A save via Sivage and a stuffed block by Sarvey stopped the run and got the team back within three points.

That’s as close as Glenrock could get. Offensive struggles led to THS points and the guests went up two sets to none.

The fight in the Herders was on display in the third set. After falling behind 3-1 again, they regrouped when Farley served four straight points. Williams slammed a kill and Sivage had a clutch dig during that run to tie the set at 6-6.

The Blazers had an answer most of the night. They responded with a couple outside attacks and one huge defensive play to take a 12-9 advantage.

Glenrock never buckled under pressure and fought to force another set. Sophomore Kiley Smith scored on a tipped ball and Survis helped deny Torrington attacks which allowed the team to tie the score at 13-13.

Farley smashed her fourth kill of the set and it led to some much needed momentum. The teams traded impressive plays as the scores were tied at 14, 15 and 16.

The Blazers made their last run thanks to a serving error and hitting miscue that led to points and a 19-16 advantage.

It was far from over for Glenrock. A kill courtesy of Survis and a dink by Williams put the team back in business and within three points.

Torrington threatened to take the set and the match, Two hits put the team two points away from victory at 23-20.

The Herders were flawless and never allowed another point thanks to Tiensvold and Sivage dishing out digs. Meanwhile, Farley had back-to-back kills to tie the set at 23-23 and Albrandt stuffed a Blazer attack for the winning point.

The fourth set was all Torrington. GHS was unable to carry that momentum into the final set where unforced errors gave the guests enough help to take the win.

Williams’ outside attacks help push the team in front 4-2.The teams traded points until things were knotted up at 7-7. The Blazers went ahead and never trailed again.

UP NEXT

The road doesn’t get any easier. Glenrock will host cross-county rival Douglas Oct. 5 at 6 p.m.