PARKERSBURG - Host Parkersburg improved to 23-13-4 here Tuesday evening inside Memorial Fieldhouse as the Big Reds won a pair of matches during the annual Volley for a Cure fundraiser.
While the Big Reds dispatched Ripley 25-7 and 25-5, the red and white also knocked off rival Parkersburg South in what proved to be their first meeting of the season in straight sets as well - 25-23 and 25-11. In the other varsity match, the Patriots trumped the Vikings in consecutive sets by identical scores of 25-9.
Proceeds from the event went to Ann Baughan's Relay for Life team as well as the American Cancer Society. Baughan's daughter Katherine is a sophomore member of the Big Red junior varsity program, which defeated the Patriot junior varsity squad in three straight sets.
Article Photos
Parkersburg's Alexandra Dils, center, spikes the ball between Parkersburg South's Lexi Spencer, left, and Sara McPeek. Parkersburg defeated South and Ripley by 2-0 scores during the annual Volley for a Cure night. (Photo by Jeff Baughan)
"I didn't know Ann went through all that. She's had like 20 some surgeries," said PHS head coach Carl Harnish, talking about the event where the fans learned of Ann's continuing battle against cancer. "It was a great night and it was nice to see our boosters put on such a great program."
As far as the volleyball went, coach Harnish wasn't impressed with the Big Reds' 11 service errors on the evening and the other unnecessary miscues.
"We played a better second set (against South) and didn't have as many unforced errors," added the coach. "If we play that way we can beat anybody. When we have our unforced errors anybody can beat us."
PHS jumped ahead of the Patriots 5-0 in the first set behind four straight Megan Morrison service points. However, head coach Becky Bennett's Patriots, now 18-9 and like the Big Reds head Saturday to the Huntington Invitational, eventually knotted the score at 21 on a Katy Amos kill.
A downed spike from Lexi Spencer pushed the Patriots ahead 22-21 and South was up 23-21 after another Taylor Ratliff service point, but the Big Reds fought back to score the last four points. PHS got its final two tallies via aces from Paige Warner.
Not much went right for the Patriots in set two as consecutive Imani Ward kills gave PHS an early 4-2 cushion it later increased to 12-4 behind seven straight Morrison points. Patriot Kayleigh Rexroad's kill closed a double digit deficit to nine at 17-8, but PHS later moved ahead 22-11 on a Ward kill. After that, Sam Shingleton got a kill block on Amos and followed it with a downed spike from one of Lyxis Reeder's match-high 15 assists before Morrison served for match point.
Ratliff's eight points, Spencer's seven assists and Amos' five kills led the Patriots versus PHS, which got 15 points and three aces from Morrison along with nine downed spikes from Warner. Big Red Kaitlin Farrah collected 11 digs.
Jordan Lallemont led PHS with 13 points versus Ripley, which never had a lead in the match. The Vikings, now 3-21-5, head Saturday to the Buffalo Invitational.
In its loss to the Patriots, Ripley was paced by Ashley Mellinger's three points and two kills. Viking Aubrey Dunlap chipped in with a pair of assists.
Parkersburg South received 14 points and four aces from Rexroad versus the Vikings while Amos tallied a match-high seven kills.
