Brian Hagberg
YOUNGSVILLE, Pa. – Eisenhower bounced back from a tough loss on Tuesday to earn a sweep over its cross-county rival at Youngsville on Wednesday.
After falling on the road at Maplewood, the Knights (1-3) came into the “Eagle’s Nest” and battled their way to a 25-19, 25-21, 25-19 victory.
Rewatch the game:
Neither team was able to gain a clear edge over the other. Youngsville (0-3) made the first run to take a 9-5 lead in the opening set. Eisenhower was able to gain momentum thanks to the strong serving of sophomore Caroline Smyth, who finished with 15 service points on her way to earning Allegheny Grille of Foxburg Player of the Game honors.
“We all have worked really, really, really hard and we came in just trying to play as hard as we possibly could and it paid off,” Smyth said. “It’s just an amazing feeling.”
See Smyth’s full postgame interview here:
Youngsville held a slim lead through the early part of the second set. Eisenhower grabbed a 19-16 advantage, and the Eagles were able to get within a point in several instances but couldn’t tie or retake the lead as the Knights put the set away.
A 7-2 run midway through the third gave the Knights a 16-9 lead. The Eagles pulled within two at 16-14, but Eisenhower answered with a 4-0 run that essentially put the game out of reach.
“There were a lot of little things that we need to fix,” Youngsville coach Hannah Bulard said.
Smyth added three kills to her service points. Layla Edwards and Lainey Font each had four kills, while Kailee Morrison had three kills. Samantha Briggs had 15 service points.
For the Eagles, Dilyn Moore had 10 digs. Olivia Darling had five kills, Harlee Swearingen had three aces, and Riley Robinault had four blocks.
Eisenhower will play in the Franklin Invitational Tournament on Saturday, while Youngsville next heads to Union City on Friday.
