Volleyball Reverse Sweeps Haskell in Five-Set Thriller

Volleyball Reverse Sweeps Haskell in Five-Set Thriller- Wil Teague, Sports Information Director, 10/5/24

The Pioneers hosted Haskell Indian Nations University this afternoon for a heads-up match-up at 1:00 PM in the Carter Activities Center. In today's matchup, the Lady Pioneers would drop the first two sets before fending off the Fightin' Indians to complete the comeback victory by sweeping HINU in the last three sets. CRC now sits 6-6 on the year. Sets went as follows: 23-25 HINU, 14-25 HINU, 25-21 CRC, 25-15 CRC, and 15-10 CRC. 

Paragould, Ark. – An exciting and thrilling matchup took place this afternoon on the campus of Crowley's Ridge College with the Lady Pioneers battling back, not giving up, and completing their first comeback victory of the season with a five-set thriller. Haskell claimed the first two sets of the matchup this afternoon by narrowly scrapping out a set one win of two points over CRC, before soundly defeating a sluggish-looking CRC team in set two with a margin of eleven points. The Pioneers turned things around in set three after head coach Carol Brotman shared a few words with the Lady Pioneers, which did the job, fiercely igniting the team's eternal engine. Looking rejuiced, CRC busted out in the third set with fire and explosiveness jumping ahead 12-5, before forcing the Lady Indians to burn both timeouts only to lose the set a few serves later with Brooklyn Cross delivering a sweep avoiding kill down the line. With their backs against the wall still, the Lady Pioneers continued firing on all cylinders in set four with their regenerated energy. This new breath of life helped motivate and inspire CRC as they breezed past HINU with a 10-point win in set four thanks to a massive 11-1 point run midway through the set. Now forcing their first 5-set match of the year, veteran player Paige Glenn got the Lady Pioneers started on the right note with the senior giving CRC a 3-0 lead to start the deciding set. This crucial jump allowed the Pioneer to be the first team to the halfway point, but woefully their lead vanished when HINU tied the score 8-8 when play resumed. What sealed the win for CRC came to the very next point where the Lady Pioneers won an extremely long, hard-fought volley with senior Alexis Weirich finding the sweet spot landing a Pioneer kill on the hardwood giving CRC the advantage for the final time. The Pioneers went on to outlast the NINU Lady Indians and claim the final set 15-10, completing the epic comeback. 

In today's Cinderella story, the entire team earned a big pat on the back for a job well done. The top performers from today's matchup include sophomore Brooklyn Cross who posted a third consecutive game of double-digit kills including this afternoon's career-high 14 kills. Following Cross offensively would be senior Paige Glenn who posted her second 10-kill game of the season. Defensively for the Pioneers sophomore Mallory Hollis was the top performer with the libero earning a career-best 28 digs. Senior Hannah Halverson followed closely behind Hollis with Halverson totaling 24 in the afternoon. In the assists category, freshman Madelyn Burris claimed the top spot with her first career double-double as she ended the contest with 21 assists and 17 digs. Hot on Burris' heels would be senior Jadyn Hesse who dished out 20 helpers in the victory. It's a great day to be a Pioneer! 

Up Next: CRC will stay at home as they host Champion Christian College on Tuesday, October 8th at 6:00 PM. #GOPIONEERS