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PORTSMOUTH — Wheelersburg’s season opener couldn’t have been scripted any better for head coach Kelsey Glockner.
The Pirates’ head coach not only saw her team earn a victory over a quality opponent — her first at the helm of the program — but she also learned just how resilient her young group is.
After cruising through the first set to a win, Wheelersburg dropped the second and had a decision to make … fight or dwell on a loss.
They chose the former and put away Notre Dame by a 25-17, 21-25, 25-10, 25-18 final.
“It feels really good to win number one here,” Glockner said. “It’s been a long time since I was a head coach and it’s like riding a bike. You have to get back into the groove. But more than anything, I’m just happy to coach this great group of girls. Winning with them is what I love the most.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Running the show
Gracie Perkins, Alyssa Mullins and Grace Woodward all played an early role in getting Wheelersburg (1-0) out to a quick start.
And, while that threesome — alongside Brooklyn Miller and Laynee Walker — continued to keep the Pirates’ offense as balanced as possible, it was junior Ella Chamberlin’s show to run.
After suffering an injury in the preseason, Wheelersburg’s setter returned to practice on Monday and played like her hair was on fire on Tuesday.
“Besides having great hands and getting the ball to her hitters, Ella’s strength is getting to the ball and playing defense. Those things are God-given and natural to her,” Glockner said. “She’s been out with a concussion and yesterday was her first real practice. So tonight’s lineup was new for us. Based on what happened in each set, it may have been different for each. But the way we came out and started, and the way [Chamberlin] was able to run the offense, that’s what left us in the lineup we started in.”
Tale of the tape
Perkins made her presence known early, pushing the Pirates out to a 4-1 lead to start the night. Later, after back-to-back aces from Mullins, Wheelersburg’s edge had swelled to 11-3.
That was much too big of a hole for the Titans (0-1) to climb their way out of.
While Notre Dame’s trio of Maycee Ford, Bree Hicks and Sophia Phillips did everything they could to get their team back in the ballgame, Woodward and Miller had an answer on the other side of the net, carrying the Pirates to the finish line of a 25-17 victory.
PHOTOS: Images from Wheelersburg’s win over Notre Dame
But in the second, the tides turned.
Ford, Hicks and Phillips continued to barrage the Pirates’ defense and started finding holes on the floor to call home.
Three early kills each from Ford and Hicks and a pair of aces from Phillips spelled an 11-6 lead for the Titans — an advantage they’d never relinquish in a 25-21 win to force a 1-1 tie.
“After the first set, I told the girls to put a cap on it because when we went out to the second set, it wasn’t going to be the same,” Glockner said. “I told them to remember that volleyball is a game of momentum. It can almost feel like after a first set win, the game is over. That’s not the case and it wasn’t the case tonight. That’s a big focal point for us. So when Notre Dame came out and what I told my team would happen, happened, I wasn’t very happy. But the girls responded and re-focused. I was impressed and very pleased with that.”
In the third, Perkins set the tone early with a kill and a pair of blocks. Woodward and Chamberlin each added aces, Mullins posted back-to-back kills and Miller later tallied an ace.
When the dust had settled, Wheelersburg owned an 18-2 lead before Notre Dame could blink. That was more than enough to coast to a 25-10 win and a 2-1 match lead.
Early in the fourth, the two traded blows to a 5-5 tie. But after the Pirates ripped off a 3-0 burst to take an 8-5 lead, they never looked back.
Perkins made it a 14-11 game with another kill, Mullins got in on the action for a 17-14 score and Miller slammed the door shut with three late kills to preserve a 25-18 victory.
“It’s a really special group of girls,” Glockner said. “They actually love each other on and off the court. They love each other so much that they’re almost content with what happens sometimes. So one thing we’re really pushing is fun but focused. We don’t want to check in and out because we’re a lighthearted group. But they’re also so talented. They’re going to get better and better.”
What’s on tap
While Notre Dame returns to the court on Thursday at South Webster, Wheelersburg is back in action on Monday, hosting South Point.
“This was a great first win,” Glockner said. “But like I told the girls in the locker room, we always do pits and peaks. So we did our three peaks and I told them that I learned a lot about what we needed to polish and tighten up. They have really big goals and we talk about a goal without a plan just being a wish. We have a lot to fix. We’re not going to just cash in. We’re going to continue thinking about what we have to do in order to get better.”
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