Troy outlasts Harrison in five-game thriller
BY JAKE LOURIM
STUDENT CORRESPONDENT
TROY — The Troy volleyball team was on the verge of collapse Tuesday night, battling in a fifth set after taking the first two.
Then Olivia Parks put a kill on the floor, and the momentum quickly changed.
Troy stifled Farmington Hills Harrison in the fifth set Tuesday night for its sixth straight league victory, 25-18, 25-12, 22-25, 18-25, 15-9.
Parks’ kill jumpstarted Troy’s attack in the fifth game, returning the Colts to the level of dominance they showed in the first two sets. The kill made it 5-4 in favor of the Hawks but got Troy going so that the lead evaporated quickly.
Junior Nicole Hahn followed shortly with a kill and a block, and Parks served up three straight aces to make it 11-6, Troy.
“I knew that I could make it in,” Parks said, “and it definitely got us excited.”
The teams traded off the next seven points, giving the Colts 12 of the last 16.
For Troy, the first, second, and fifth games were some of the best they’ve played all year.
“We finally realized [in the fifth game] that we were the better offensive team and we can beat them easily,” Parks said.
“We were pass-set-hitting really well, and our setter was distributing the ball really well,” Ruhl said. “Olivia and Nicole were on fire.”
In the second game, in which the Colts dispatched Harrison 25-12, six different players laid down kills and Troy added four blocks. That balance kept Harrison on its toes as Troy was met with no opposition. The Colts reeled off two different runs of 8-2.
After gaining a big two-set lead, Troy coach Ed Ruhl put in some substitutes, and Harrison started to get back into the game.
“I think the pressure on the hitting was too much,” Ruhl said, adding that he thought the subs were trying to do too much.
Mixing up the lineup, Troy still looked to be in solid position to sweep, up 22-19 in the third set. But Harrison clawed back with a kill, and Troy was called for a net penalty.
Harrison served out the match with three aces and a Troy hitting error that originated with a dominant serve.
That was all the room the Hawks needed.
“If you give them a little, they’ll use that and get momentum,” Ruhl said.
With all the momentum, Harrison came out more inspired in the fourth game, overpowering Troy with seven kills, four aces, and three blocks.
Then, the Troy starters came out and returned the favor.
“I was happy with the way the starters came in the fifth game,” Ruhl said. “They could have panicked.”
But they didn’t. Troy resumed its earlier level of attack, outplaying the Hawks and keeping its league record unblemished.
Hahn had a team-high 10 kills, and ten different players recorded at least one kill. Junior setter Lindsay Moeller added to the offense by putting seven balls away on tips.
Category: High School, Prep Wraps, Troy
