KELSEYVILLE — After dropping the third and fourth sets to Kelseyville on Thursday evening at Kelseyville High School, the Middletown Mustangs battled back to win the fifth set and the match, 25-19, 2-20, 26-28, 25-27, 15-9, in a North Central League I varsity volleyball thriller.
“The fifth set was definitely intense,” Middletown head coach Vanessa Davis said after watching her Mustangs (3-2) blow a two-sets-to-none lead in the best-of-five match. “But they kept their emotions under control and won the thing.”
Strong serving from Skylar Williams and Bre Pyzer made the difference in the fifth set for Middletown, according to Davis.
“She was on an off with her serving all night, but when it mattered she was on,” Davis said of Williams.
Kelseyville (1-4) welcomed back junior setter Jayden Paulich to the starting lineup after she missed last week with an ankle injury.
“The girls we had filling in for her did OK, but it’s tough to replace her (Paulich’s) experience,” Kelseyville head coach Donelle McCallister said. “She hasn’t played for a week and she was tired at the end.”
Kelseyville spent all night playing from behind, according to McCallister.
“Even in the sets we won we had to come from behind,” she said.
It was the second five-set loss this week for the Knights, who fell in five on Tuesday at St. Helena.
“We’re improving little by little,” McCallister said.
Sophomore middle hitter Mia Hoogendoorn powered Middletown with what Davis called “her best hitting night yet.” Hoogendoorn finished with nine kills on 20 arm swings and only three hitting errors.
“That’s a pretty good ratio,” Davis said.
Williams added eight kills, eight digs, 14 service points and five aces, and senior libero Jaidyn Brown had 17 digs, eight points and four aces. Another senior, Camille Schaffer, had six kills and three aces.
“She’s a steady presence on our team,” Davis said of Schaffer. “She’s cool, calm and collected, a player who is really underestimated.”
Sophomore Olivia Hommer’s 17 kills led the Knights. Maddie Madrzyk and Faith McIntire finished with six kills apiece while Paulich record 28 assists.
Middletown won the JV match 27-25, 25-18 behind six kills and four aces from Harley Holley, three aces and two kills from Taylor Thompson, and strong passing by libero Diana Montes.
“Everybody played really well,” Middletown head coach Erika Galvan said. “We had some great energy.”
Kelseyville is home on Tuesday to play Clear Lake (4-1) while Middletown is home against Cloverdale (3-2).
