The Wright City Lady Wildcats won crucial points in the third and fourth sets to win their second consecutive match to start the season.
Wright City (2-0) beat Bowling Green in four sets. The Lady Wildcats won the last three sets of the match after dropping the first set 25-14. Wright City won the last three sets 25-17, 25-22 and 26-24. Wright City coach Christine Goldsmith said the Lady Wildcats’ improved communication was key to the turnaround.
“When they stop communicating, that’s when we don’t play as a cohesive team,” Goldsmith said. “Second set, we made it a point to talk on every play and every pass. So I think that helped us a lot.”
After winning the second set, Wright City and Bowling Green played a close third set. With Wright City trailing 22-18, the Lady Wildcats ran off seven consecutive points to take the third set. Wright City won the final six points of the set on Paige Freiner’s serve. Jasmin Simpson registered a kill to push the score to 24-22. Cayle Redmon tipped the ball over the net to clinch the third set for Wright City.
“When we get down so far, usually teams lose their head space and they’re not able to come out of that hole,” Goldsmith said. “I don’t know what it is about this team. They like to dig a hole. We like to climb out. I think just getting that motivation and everybody cheering on that serve, cheering on the hitters and working together. It helps us dig out of it.”
The Lady Wildcats also used late set heroics in the fourth set to clinch the match. Wright City and Bowling Green remained close throughout the fourth set. Wright City won four consecutive points to turn a 21-20 deficit into a 24-21 advantage. Wright City won three consecutive points on Jessica Dunning’s serve to gain the advantage. Bowling Green responded by winning three points in a row with the Lady Wildcats one point away from clinching the match. With the score tied 24-24, Simpson registered a kill to give the Lady Wildcats a one point lead. Wright City won the following point to win the set 26-24.
Goldsmith thinks the Lady Wildcats played smart over the course of the last three sets.
“I really make it a point to say play smart,” Goldsmith said. “Tip the ball when you can. Place it in the deep corners where nobody’s at. And use what we have to our advantage. Don’t go crazy. Focus on the smart play.”
Simpson led the Lady Wildcats with seven kills. Redmon added five kills for Wright City. Redmon led the Lady Wildcats with six of the team’s eight blocks. Simpson recorded the other two blocks. Freiner and Tawny Head finished tied for the team lead with three aces each. Anna Sandford led Wright City with 10 assists. Jessica Dunning contributed with six assists.
Wright City is scheduled to host St. Louis Christian at 6 p.m. Thursday. They will host Montgomery County at 6:30 p.m. Monday.