Tiger Cubs fall to Chargers 3-1 in tournament warmup

Greencastle junior Taylor Stoltey (11) puts up a set during the second game against North Montgomery on Wednesday as Quinci Miller moves to the net. Stoltey finished with 39 assists in the match. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

The Greencastle Tiger Cubs welcomed the North Montgomery Chargers into McAnally for a Wednesday night showdown. The Tiger Cubs made a big push in the last couple sets but fell to North Montgomery 25-12, 25-18, 24-26, 25-21.

"The first two (sets) we didn't have any and the last two we had a ton of energy and that's why we pushed through," Greencastle head coach Maggie Walters said. "They played so much better in the last two sets. ... We have to work against other teams. We need to try to get to every single ball."

The Tiger Cubs came out slow in the first set and got down early 7-0 on seven straight serves by the Chargers, an irrecoverable margin in the game.

GHS played a lot better in the second set, grabbing the lead 4-2 early, but the Chargers made a nice run to take the lead 15-8. The Tiger Cubs clawed back to get the lead down to six, but the Chargers finished them off to take the set.

The third set was a different story, Greencastle came out with newfound passion and fire. GHS got the first point and did not relinquish the lead. The Chargers fought back to tie the game at 24, but with setter Taylor Stoltey serving Tiger Cubs had a chance to put them away.

The 25th point was scored when a Charger player bumped into the net for a net violation. The final and game-winning point was a clutch block by the Tiger Cubs junior Quinci Miller, who had 14 of them in the match, and Greencastle was back in business with all the momentum and a 2-1 deficit.

The fourth set was a well-played game all-around. The spread was never more than four points and it came down to a couple close calls at the end, which went in the Chargers' favor.

Greencastle has a lot to be proud of, Walters said, especially the way it came back in the end against a tougher North Montgomery squad. The Tiger Cubs can also hang their hats on serving, serve receiving, and setting.

Greencastle served the ball deep into the Charger defense and made them work to get it back across the net, with only one serving error on the night.

"Our serving was ... more aggressive than usual which was good," Walters said. "That got the other team to struggle with receiving."

Stoltey, a junior, did an excellent job getting to every serve and avoiding double-hits and lifts, Walters said

Greencastle looks forward to the county tournament this weekend and the team and coach think they can make a good run into the tournament. GHS face Cloverdale in the opening round at 10:30 a.m., a team it beat earlier this year.

At Greencastle
North Montgomery............25 25 24 25
Greencastle...................... 12 18 26 21