Story by Near Post Sports
It was a five-game row Tuesday with many lead changes throughout, but the Navarre Lady Raiders volleyball team took a loss to the Milton Panthers.
The Raiders have gone 2-6 in their season openers since 2014, and both of their wins came against the Panthers (2016 and 17). And this year’s maroon-and-grey had their shots to do it again.
“We definitely got a slow start in the first set. And we still came back and chipped away,” said Navarre head coach Ryan Davenport. “We made some changes in the second set, which obviously worked very well. Quite honestly Milton played a phenomenal game. They [Milton] executed. They got to a point where they just weren’t going to take a loss.”
Navarre dropped the first game 25-21, rebounded in the second with a 25-13, and claimed the third 25-17. The fourth game took extra time to decide a winner, and the Panthers evened the match with a 28-26 result. The fifth set was a back-and-forth affair, neither team getting more than a three-point advantage, before a 17-15 final went Milton’s way.
Although Navarre’s defense was sharp – four players with double-digit digs – Milton’s senior hitter Anyaliz Rodriguez put down 10 kills in the match.
“Once I started shotting, it was a lot easier, and I could get more kills. Seeing where the blocks are helps a lot, and my teammates were talking behind me so it’s easier to hit where I need to,” Rodriguez said. “I’m glad that we brought that energy tonight and didn’t give up. We still kept pushing, and we ended up coming back in the end.”
Before the game, Milton head coach Jan Cupp said she had four seniors for her fourth year at the helm.
“We knew we were going to build on this year,” Cupp said post-game, going on to say that the match at Navarre was an improvement over their four-set loss at Booker T. Washington on Monday. “Our defense got a little bit better, blocking and digging.”
A pair of Panthers had four blocks apiece – setter Laila Manning and Camille Germann.
The game’s leading attacker was Navarre’s junior Kyra McKelvey, amassing 20 kills. Grace McAlister and Reese Carroll notched 16 and 10 kills, respectively. But they weren’t all full-power swings, as Milton’s blocks rejected several Raider attacks. A mid-match strategy change proved effective.
“He [Davenport] was just like, ‘just tip,’” said McAlister, crediting that change with her kill total. “I think it’s awesome to switch it up … get them off their game.”
Navarre returns to the court Tuesday with an away game at Fort Walton Beach. The Panthers have a twin-bill at home Saturday, facing Pace in a morning game and Choctaw in the early afternoon.
All photos by Stu Camp Hi rez photos can be purchased at https://stuartcamp.smugmug.com/
