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When two good SWAL volleyball teams meet why not have a little back and forth?
It was that way with Mineral Point taking the first two sets 25-14 and 25-18 then host Iowa-Grant getting the next two, 25-21 and 25-14 to set up that all important rubber game.
This one went to the Pointers, 15-10, and allowed them to hold onto first place in the season's early stages,
The Pointers recorded 43 kills and were led by Jalissa Weiler with 14, Haley Chubb with 12 with Delaney Smith getting seven and Sydney Staver six. Stacey Thornton got the last four to make it 43.
But Emma Liddicoat was the kill machine for the game with 21 for the Panthers. Katie Olson added 12.
The Pointers had the edge in blocks with 10 as Smith knocked back four while Staver, Chubb and Malorie Johnson all had two.
For the Panthers Shae McIntyre and Jess Plummer both had a pair.
Taylor Liddicoat was a busy girl for the Panthers as she set up 46 assists. For the Pointers, Staver served up 37.
Weier and Chubb had a pair of aces for the Pointers while Staver and Elise Ames served one each.
Carley Rider served a trio of aces for the Panthers with Emma Liddicoat and Olson getting two each.
Weier and Destinee Kruser led the Pointers in digs with six and five. Emma Liddicoat had 18, Pluemer 11 and Kassidy Schroeder 10 for Iowa-Grant.
"It was a definite slow start for us in set one and then much of set two as well," Iowa-Grant coach Marla Simon said. "We struggled getting a good pass, so we were not able to get into our offense."
It was a struggle on defense too for the Panthers in the early going.
"On defense we were slow and not doing our jobs with that." Simon said.
But the next two sets were much different.
"We really started to put it together," Simon said. "We did a lot better job passing and then hitting with setting up our offense better. I think the serving by Carley Rider really started to spark us."
"In the 3rd set we were down 12-17, and Carley rattled. off five straight points to tie us up Then Emma added three straight points to put us up 20-19, and we took the match from there. And, Emma led us with 7 of her kills behind Taylor's 14 assists."
"In the fourth set. we traded points back and forth through five points, and then Emma led us with a five point scoring run during which Katie Olson had five of her 12 kills.
"Also we were playing much better defense and serve receive, with kudos going to Jess Plummer in this department along with Emma and Katie. Then in the fifth set we were up 9-7, and then Haley Chubb reels off four straight points. We didn't rebound from that.
"In this set we missed three serves and only had seven total misses in the whole match. We played not to lose instead of playing to win.
"But I'm very proud of the girls for not tanking it after going 0-2. We were really playing well in third and fourth and were the team I know we can be. Now we just have to get stronger starts and finish strong," the coach said.