For The Tribune

MEDORA

Medora’s volleyball team was unable to come up with enough points at crunch time in the third and fourth sets against Borden on Tuesday night, falling to the visiting Braves 25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21.

The teams took turns putting together hot streaks in the first set as Borden scored the first three points before Megan Weddell’s second ace gave the Hornets a 6-3 lead.

The Braves went up 8-6 before the Hornets came back to take a 15-14 lead, but the visitors went in front 18-15 and led the rest of the set.

The Hornets had to rally to win the second set as the Braves held a 13-7 lead.

Back-to-back kills by Kailen Flynn cut the Braves’ lead to 13-10, and the Hornets drew even at 22-22 before Alli Carney served a pair of aces to even the match.

“I thought they played well,” Hornets coach Sara Todd said of the second set. “I thought they played well all the games. I think they just get down on themselves. There were a couple of times we could have moved to the ball and decided to reach instead.

Medora held an 11-7 lead in the third set before Borden tied the score at 20 all then outscored the Hornets 5-2 down the stretch.

The Hornets got off to a good start in the fourth set, leading 6-4 before the Braves went on top by scores of 8-6 and 14-10.

The Hornets scored five straight points on two kills by Alli Carney, a kill by Weddell, an ace by Avery Carney and a Braves passing error to lead 15-14.

Another ace by Weddell put the Hornets on top 18-16 before Borden rallied to outscore the Hornets 9-3 down the stretch.

Todd said Haley Shouse definitely was a difference maker for the Braves.

“(Shouse) is hard to read,” Todd said. “We were trying to read her. She looked like she was going to angle, and she would go down the line, and they’d look at me like ‘I’m reading.’

“Sometimes you come up against those hitters that you just can’t read. Alli was even telling me, ‘I’m watching her hitting arm. I just can’t get a block on her.’ That’s a learning curve there, trying to get matched up with them and learn how they play.”

The Hornets (7-14) had 28 attack kills with Weddell tallying 8, while Alli Carney and Flynn each had seven.

Medora was 81 for 91 with 13 aces serving.

Tuesday’s match was the final home contest for seniors Avery Carney, Weddell and Jadelyn Dean.

Todd said the seniors have meant a lot to the program throughout their careers.

“They’ve meant a lot, not just the last couple years, since grade school, when Missy (Stewart, assistant coach) started them,” she said. “Missy had them for two years, I had some of them for two years, some for a year.

“They’ve meant a lot to this whole program. I think the younger girls look up to them. They’re going to leave a big hole next year. I haven’t trained a setter for five of the last six years — I just trained Avery, and she does it. Megan has always been an outside hitter, always been there, and Jadelyn we have to split with cross-country. When she’s here, she does a good job.”