DUKE CENTER — Getting the opportunity to avenge a season-ending defeat doesn’t happen very often. When it does, you better make the most of it.
Otto-Eldred did just that on Thursday night, as the Lady Terrors volleyball team defeated the defending district champion Lady Falcons of Coudersport 3-1 (25-10, 16-25, 25-13, 25-18).
The victory also kept Otto-Eldred’s unblemished record intact (7-0 overall, 4-0 in North Tier League play).
“The girls played hard,” O-E coach Jame Thomas said. “The second set we kind of struggled with our serving and with a few hits, but they regained their confidence. They came back and did a nice job. Coudy always plays tough. Those girls they dig deep and they always give us a tough match.”
Making the victory extra sweet was the fact that the Falcons (4-2 overall, 4-1 NTL) ended Otto’s 2016 season in the District 9 quarterfinals en route to their run to the PIAA Class A semifinals.
“There’s always some extra motivation when we play Coudersport,” Thomas said. “I tried to motivate them a little bit more in the locker room before the game to get them going.
“I don’t know if that’s what did it or not,” he added with a laugh.
O-E seemed plenty motivated in the first set. After Coudersport took an early 7-6 lead, the Terrors went on a 13-1 run that helped them cruise to a 1-0 set advantage.
But Coudersport isn’t the defending champs for nothing. The Falcons regained their composure and took control of the second set by taking advantage of some Otto miscues. The second set featured some of the best points of the entire match, with players on both sides making some incredible plays to keep rallies alive.
The third set found Otto regaining its earlier form and making better use of its service games. The play in this set was much better than the score (25-13) might indicate. There were impressive digs, miraculous saves, and some amazing reactions to shots that ricocheted off the top of the gym.
A back-and-forth fourth set brought more of the same. Coudy’s players gave everything they had to keep things competitive, but the Terrors would not be denied, closing things out on an errant Coudersport serve.
Among the key contributors for Otto-Eldred were Camryn Thomas (21 kills, 25 digs), Allison Cousins (15 kills, 11 points, eight digs, four aces), and Emily Smith (42 assists, 10 digs).
“Camryn, she’s always hitting the ball well, always diving no matter what the score is, she’s on the floor,” coach Thomas said. “She did a nice job.
“Emily Smith is a workhorse for us,” Thomas said. “She’s everywhere on the court. Doesn’t matter what kind of pass it is, she’s giving the hitters a good set to hit most of the time.
As for Cousins, Thomas simply said, “That girl’s got some hops.”
Rame Hewitt also added 15 points in the match.
Coach Thomas hopes that getting a win over one of his team’s biggest rivals will help propel them to even better things down the road.
“We’ve just got to go one game at a time and try to improve in some of the weaker aspects of our game,” he said. “I’ll go over the video and we’ll work from there.”
The Lady Terrors will hit the road on Tuesday when they face Cameron County.
