MEMPHIS, Tenn — Bouncing back after dropping the opening set in both matches, the Newman volleyball team bounced Tiffin in its first match of the season and fell in five sets to host Christian Brothers at the Christian Brothers Invitational Friday.
TIFFIN
KEY SEQUENCE
Up by three but still locked in a tight one after losing the first set, the Jets (1-1) got back-to-back kills from Emily Harvey to boost the lead to five in the second, and Reagen Roth followed with two aces to get to match point and help Newman storm back in a 13-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-22 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Tiffin hit .312 as a team in the first game to take the early lead, but a different Newman team responded, upping its own attack numbers in each of the final three sets. Three straight kills from Yemima Buana turned the tied quickly in the start of the second, making it 6-1.
-At one point a 6-5 game in the third, the Jets reeled off a 7-2 to take control, paced by two kills from Megan Pedersen and a block from Hailey Braddy and Buana. The Jets led by at least four through the rest of the set, netting the final four points to go up 2-1.
-A huge 8-1 start lifted the Jets to start the fourth set, but the Dragons (1-1) rallied to get within a point at 12-11. Three more kills by Pedersen and one from Braddy cut that run off, and despite three straight kills while facing match point, Newman finished it out.
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS
KEY SEQUENCE
Having lost the last two sets and once again down 11-10 to the Jets, Christian Brothers (2-0) managed to score the last five points in the deciding fifth set to earn a 25-13, 26-24, 16-25, 18-25, 15-11 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Falling in the first set, Newman once again showed resiliency in bouncing back in the second. Neither team's lead was larger than three throughout the set, and a 4-1 run by the Jets that featured two blocks tied things at 21-21. Braddy's kill made it 24-all, but the Buccaneers recorded two straight kills to grab the 2-0 lead.
-Now needing to not drop a set, the Jets righted the ship in the third, hitting .317 and taking leads of 5-2, 9-6 and 13-7, the latter coming on the strength of three straight aces from Crystal Powell. That was immediately followed up by a 6-0 run that featured kills from three different players, and the lead grew as large as 22-11 as the Jets got back in it.
-An early spurt in the fourth pushed Newman out to an 8-3 lead, and after CBU cut it to 15-13, Pedersen posted a solo block and Braddy followed with three straight kills to make it 20-13. The Jets scored four of the final five points of the set to draw things even and force the fifth.
-Things went back and forth throughout the final set, with a 2-0 lead for the Jets the only one by more than one point until the Bucs went on their late run. Kayla Turner, Powell, Pedersen, Buana and Harvey all put up kills, and a block from Harvey and Buana followed by a CBU error pushed Newman in front 11-10.
NOTES
-Pedersen's first day in a Newman uniform was a success, totaling 25 kills, 55 assists, 12 digs, four aces and four blocks. Her 55 assists came without an error, and she hit .350 on 60 attacks.
-Harvey started her senior year off with a bang, tallying 30 kills on .304 hitting and adding nine blocks. Buana put up 11 blocks to go with 15 kills.
-Anna Burton posted 25 and 24 digs to lead the back row, while Roth recorded 19 digs and 26 assists in her first collegiate match.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets finish up their Memphis trip with two more tough matches Saturday afternoon, facing Arkansas-Monticello at 2 and Assumption at 4:30.
