The Northampton girls volleyball team looked to be dead in the water in their Monday night match against Easton. They had dropped the first two sets, the second after holding set point. However, they came roaring back to claim the third and fourth sets, forcing a decisive fifth frame.

They jumped out to an early 8-4 lead and still led 10-8, but saw the Rovers finish the set on a 7-2 run to claim the victory 25-19, 26-24, 22-25, 16-25, 15-12.

“Volleyball is a momentum sport. It can go either way. You can do everything right and come up a little short and you can also do things wrong and still win, depending on the opponent,” explained head coach Helene Quaintance. “We’re just trucking through and working on being mentally tough and to just keep pushing.”

The first set was tight with the K-Kids trailing only 18-16 before Easton ripped off 6 points to create an unsurmountable margin.

It seemed the second set was going to follow a similar script as the Rovers took a late, 21-16 lead. The Kids were able to get a side out and then go on a 4-point run on Averie Morgan’s serve to square the score. Northampton held a set point at 24-23 and had an attack to win it, but an Easton block keyed a three-point sequence that gave it to the Rovers.

Undeterred, the K-Kids came back in the third set and built a comfortable 21-15 lead on their way to getting back into the match. Gracie Doward smashed the ball off the Easton double block for the clinching point.

Northampton stayed on a roll in the fourth set, using an 8-1 run midway through to provide a comfortable cushion and push the match to its limit.

The momentum shifted multiple times in the final set. The Kids erased an early 2-0 deficit with 4 straight points. The Rovers equalized, but Northampton ran off four more to lead 8-4. Then it was 4 in row for Easton to draw level. Two for the K-Kids gave them back the lead. The next five points went to the Rovers and despite the Kids getting the margin down to 12-13, they were unable to turn the tide.

Averie Morgan had a monster match for the K-Kids. She led the team in digs and blocks with 22 and 5 respectively. She was third on the team with 13 kills.

Quaintance talked about her impact, “She came off of a not-so-great match against Freedom and she recognized that. Averie is a super force. She passes well and we’re looking to get her to attack from the back row. She played phenomenal today.”

NHS 19-24-25-22-12

Easton 25-26-22-16-15

Northampton stats (kills, digs, other): Claire Luckenbach 15, 8, 4 aces, 2 blocks; Maddy Taff 14, 4; Averie Morgan 13, 22, 5 blocks; Gracie Doward 11, 9; Cyd Chilson 1, 10, 5 aces, 47 assists; Grace Wolfel 1, 14, 4 assists