Portageville rallies in the third set to secure sweep of Sikeston

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — The Portageville volleyball team mounted a furious comeback in the third set to secure a sweep over Sikeston at PHS on Monday, Sep. 26.

The Lady Bulldogs (19-2-2) controlled the first two sets 25-18 and 25-14. However, in the third set, they trailed significantly (18-6) against the determined Lady Bulldogs (4-12-2), but ultimately, staged a comeback and secured a nail-biting 25-23 victory.

Portageville's Ja'Niya Smith (13) serves during a win over Sikeston on Monday, September 25. (Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat)

“Overall, I felt it wasn’t our best night,” said Portageville coach Sasha Kellams. “But it’s great to have a team that can pull off a win even on those off nights. In the third set, we were hurting ourselves, but we managed to recover. We work in practice a lot on what we call pressure situations. This is where the other team is up by a lot, and we have to come back and win. I think practicing those moments really paid off last night. We always want to make practice harder than a game so we know how to respond in those moments. That’s a huge positive.”

Sophomore Glo Farmer proved to be instrumental in the win, igniting the team with exceptional performance, making impactful plays one after another, and helping propel the team to a well-deserved victory.

Sikeston's Aubreigh Landers (23) digs during a loss at Portageville on Monday, September 25. (Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat)

Farmer’s outstanding display included a game-high 11 kills and five aces, along with five digs and a crucial block.

“[Farmer] had a great night,” Kellams said. “She is a player who can really get the momentum back for us. She was on fire last night. She even led the team with five aces. She really is such a great kid, and I love seeing her continue to shine.”

Ja’Niya Smith led the team with 21 digs and also contributed four kills, two aces and a block.

Portageville celebrates after beating Sikeston on Monday, September 25, 2023. (Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat)

“[Smith] had opportunities defensively that were crucial to our success at the net,” Kellams said. “She’s another player that is really coming into her own this season.”

Portageville’s other top performers were Laney Stone (nine digs, four kills and an assist), Jayla Weddington (seven kills, two blocks, and two digs), Bryleigh Adams (four kills, an assist and a dig), Aaliyah Larry (nine assists, three digs, three aces and one kill), Mia Scherer (21 assists, three digs and a kill) and Lily Beth Priggel (one kill and one dig).

Sikeston's Heidi Self (30) and Hailee Barber (13) go for a dig during a loss at Portageville on Monday, September 25. (Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat)

Bri Williams and Heidi Self were the top players for Sikeston.

“Bri Williams has an amazing blocking ability and tonight was the most complete game she has played this year,” said Sikeston coach Marc Jannin. “Heidi Self for her awesome pancakes and digs. Our defense as a whole was stellar and we got some gritty points tonight which I was proud of.”

Portageville's Laney Stone (24) goes for a kill during a win over Sikeston on Monday, September 25. (Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat)

“I thought the match tonight was a back-and-forth match,” he continued. “They would go on runs, we would go on runs. It was a fun contest for us and we competed well against a good team. Our rotation was different due to multiple injuries but we communicated well as a group.”

Portageville will host NMCC (9-9) on Tuesday, September 26 for its annual Pink Out Game.

Sikeston will travel to Puxico (4-8-0) on Tuesday, September 26.