For Polk County Middle’s young volleyball squad, every match is providing some type of learning experience.
Wednesday’s showdown with undefeated Brevard Middle showed the Wolverines that they can play with anyone in the Blue Ridge Conference.
Polk Middle pushed the East Division leaders to the limit, with Brevard finally pulling away late for a 21-25, 25-18, 15-10 victory at Polk Middle.
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The Wolverines (5-2) dominated much of the first set, racing to set point, with Arie Parmalee’s kill putting Polk up 24-11. But Brevard (6-0) began looking to just keep points alive, tipping shots over at the net rather than trying for tougher kills, and the strategy helped the Blue Devils reel off 10 straight points before another Parmalee kill ended the set.
But the momentum gained carried over into the second set for Brevard, who put together a 10-1 run to take a 15-6 edge midway through the set. But Polk Middle began to fight back, closing to within two points at 16-14 and 17-15 before the Blue Devils closed the set with an 8-3 run to even the match.
The deciding set mirroed the second. Brevard jumped out to an 8-1 lead before the Wolverines again rallied, with Polk pulling within two at 10-8. The margin still stood at two at 12-10 when the Blue Devils notched the final three points to take the match.
“They just played the team that’s leading our division and they played right with them the whole time,” said Polk Middle head coach Kenny Hall. “This gives me great hope as to what this team can achieve.
“We’re just going to keep working hard and practicing and continuing to improve.”
Polk Middle wraps up its first pass through the BRC East Division on Monday, traveling to Rugby Middle for a 4:30 p.m. match.
