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The Parry McCluer High School volleyball team used an improbable fifth-set comeback to record a 3-2 win over Amherst County in Buena Vista on Monday evening.
The Fighting Blues (6-2) trailed 9-1 in the tiebreak set, only to battle back and win 17-15 in extras. The rally secured a 16-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-21, 17-15 victory for PM, which earned a season split with the Lancers (3-5).
Keely Mahaffey tallied 11 kills, nine assists, seven service aces and three blocks for the Blues. Natalie Mohler recorded 16 assists, 10 digs and three aces for PM, while Emory Slagle notched nine kills and Logan Vest posted 13 digs and five aces.
Hannah Mull totaled 17 kills and two blocks for Amherst, while Kynslee Wilson racked up 30 assists, nine aces, seven kills and two blocks.
The Lancers used an early 9-0 run, including three aces from Wilson, to take command of the opening set. Trailing 15-14 midway through the second frame, the Blues cashed in on three straight Peira Conner aces to take an 18-15 lead, and a later 6-1 spurt allowed the Blues enough breathing room to hold off a late rally from Amherst.
Buoyed by kills from six different players, the Lancers built up a 20-10 advantage and fended off PM in the third set to regain the lead in the match.
Amherst was ahead 20-18 late in the fourth set, but the Blues reeled off a 7-1 closing stretch that featured three kills from Slagle and -- on the final two points -- a kill and a stuff block from Mahaffey.
But the bigger rally was still to come. After three early aces from Mena Awanda sparked a 7-0 run that put Amherst ahead 9-1 in the final set, PM would start to chip away. Back-to-back aces from Mahaffey helped the Blues claw to within 11-8, and consecutive kills from Kadence Zollman and Slagle made it 13-11 in the Lancers' favor.
A near miss on a good swing from Zollman gave the Lancers multiple match points at 14-11. But a pair of Amherst errors sandwiched around an ace from Vest sent the set into extras.
A kill from Ania Thompson created another match point for the Lancers at 15-14. But Slagle delivered two kills in a row, and -- following an Amherst timeout -- Mohler served up an ace for the clinching point.
Zollman finished with eight kills and two blocks for the Blues, while Conner chipped in four kills and six aces and Allie Cullen added nine digs. Thompson had six kills for the Lancers.
PM will open up Pioneer District play at Narrows on Thursday, starting with the junior varsity contest at 5:30 p.m.
