LINDEN — North Montgomery jumped all over Fountain Central in the first set and cruised to a 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 18-25, 25-18) win in volleyball on Tuesday night.
The Chargers (2-4) took an early 6-1 lead in the first set to gain momentum, and broke a 13-13 tie in the second set with a 5-0 run, before sealing the second set win.
“Those first two sets we played really well,” North Montgomery first-year coach Whitney Hutson said. “I think playing together more they are starting to get into sync.”
Ashlynn Anderson led the Chargers with 13 kills, while Trinity Schroeder added eight winners. Gabby Blankenship and Mallory Morehouse added 14 and 13 digs respectively.
Fountain Central (2-8) was able to battle back with a third set win by breaking a 13-13 tie with a 7-3 run of its own.
“We made a rotation adjustment and switched some people around,” Mustangs coach Alyssa Larson said. “And we made a defensive adjustment, which worked and I thought we played pretty well following that and it definitely sparked some movement.”
North Montgomery was able to regroup though with a rally in the fourth and decisive set.
“We’ve been working on not giving up and finishing the set and not letting them get back into the match,” Hutson, who’s Chargers have won two straight, said. “I think they thrive on each others’ energy and I think it’s really helped that some of them have stepped up as leaders.”
After starting the season 2-0, the Mustangs have dropped eight straight matches, but Larson is hopeful that there is light at the end of tunnel.
“We’ve had a different roster since then,” she said. “We’ve had kids quarantined, out, and kids hurt. And that’s not an excuse, but mentally and physically it’s difficult to have a different lineup in every game. This stretch of our schedule is also the toughest every year. Mentally we just have to get out of it and pull through games like this.”
Fountain Central host Southmont on Thursday, while the Chargers host Greencastle tonight.
