Polk Middle fights back to stop Rugby, take division lead

This time, Polk County Middle trumped Rugby Middle’s comeback with one of its own. A much bigger, much more important bit of come-from-behind magic.

As they did in their first meeting earlier this season, the Wolverines allowed the Raiders to fight back from set point and steal an opening-set victory. Unlike that encounter, that would be the only set Rugby would win, Polk Middle storming back for a 28-30, 25-14, 25-21 win Monday before a loud, boisterous crowd at Polk Middle.

Cheered on by Polk County’s high school varsity and junior varsity teams as well as a nearly-packed gym, Polk Middle (8-1) assumed sole possession of first place in the Blue Ridge Middle School Conference’s East Division with its sixth straight victory. The Wolverines did so with all-around solid play, especially defensively, often keeping rallies alive until Rugby made an error.

“Our defense stepped up. We had good play from our back row,” said Polk Middle head coach Matthew Russell. “Kristen Hall and Landry Edwards really stepped up in the back row.

“The girls had this game circled on their calendar all season. That’s a big hurdle we just went over. We have a lot of respect for Rugby. They’re extremely talented.”

Polk appeared on its way to taking the opening set, fighting back from an early deficit to reach set point with a 24-20 edge. But the Raiders scored four straight points to tie the match and begin an incredible string of both sides fighting off set points, the Raiders finally holding on for the 30-28 win.

In that early-season loss, the Wolverines allowed a 24-21 opening-set lead to slip away and then lost the match in straight sets. Such would not be the case this time.

The Wolverines rolled to a 7-0 advantage to open the second set and relied on their defensive effort to maintain that advantage, the Raiders getting no closer than three points. A Rugby service error on set point gave Polk the game and sent the match to a deciding third set.

The Raiders built an 18-14 lead in that final game before the Wolverines fought back, Mireya Roman’s serving and Hall’s middle hitting sparking a rally that gave Polk a 20-18 lead and forced Rugby coach Kelly Risley, a former Polk County High head coach, to call a timeout. The delay merely postponed Polk’s victory celebration, the Wolverines closing out the match moments later to trigger a huge on-court celebration with both Polk high school teams.

Happy with the win, Russell felt equally pleased with how the Wolverines handled the first-game setback.

“That showed me and showed the girls how much tougher we are now than we were then,” Russell said. “Even after the first set, I still felt confident and the girls felt confident we could win it in three, and that’s exactly what we did.”