Standout setters from Greene County Triangular
The Greene County Triangular on Thursday featured some smooth offenses and, at their core, it was the setters that kept them running well. Gilbert (21-6) used a 6-2 with two attacking setters, while Greene County (9-10) and Carroll (9-7) played…
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Continue ReadingThe Greene County Triangular on Thursday featured some smooth offenses and, at their core, it was the setters that kept them running well. Gilbert (21-6) used a 6-2 with two attacking setters, while Greene County (9-10) and Carroll (9-7) played a traditional 5-1 with accurate and active setters.
(Pictured Gilbert’s setters #4 Taylor Grinley and #11 Nessa Johnson)
Gilbert’s 5-foot-10 juniors
Gilbert’s two setters are almost a mirror image of each other — literally, one is a lefty and one is a righty. Both are 5-foot-10 juniors and both are good passers and hitters. Nessa Johnson missed most of last season with an injury, but her return has allowed her and Taylor Grinley to effectively run a 6-2. The result is a varied offense spurred by the versatile setters.
“We have so many hitters, and I think that we can catch teams off guard because if one hitter is having a bad day or not hitting well, we can go right back to somebody else, and keep teams out of system, so we’ve been trying to use that to our advantage and focus on it,” Gilbert coach Stacy Johnson said.
Both distributed the ball well, and although senior 6-foot-0 middle hitter Haleigh Hadley scored at ease from the middle, the setters did well to pass the ball to all of their spots, keeping the defense on their toes. During one rally, Johnson slipped as she went to make a pass, but still managed to set while sitting down. It didn’t lead to an assist but it kept the point going, which Gilbert eventually won.
On the attack side, Grinely was creative in her attacks, finding unique angles and holes, and Johnson attacked hard, too. Johnson also leads the Tigers in aces.
Both setters racked up double-digit kills and assists — and also used the quick-kill to their advantage — as they helped Gilbert sweep both Greene County and Carroll.
Below is a video of Johnson passing to Grinley for a kill.
I’m in Jefferson this evening, where #12 @gilbertvball just swept host Greene County 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-11). Here’s a powerful kill from junior Taylor Grinley late in the third set. #iahsvb pic.twitter.com/6vEM04JWYF
— Hayes Gardner (@HayesGardner) September 19, 2019
Quick work from Carroll
Carroll’s fans and bench erupted when senior setter Rylee Ludwig attacked once of a free ball, attacked again… and then finally put it away for a kill. It was one of two kills for her on the day, but she did most of her damage, predictably, passing the ball. She racked up 45 assists over four sets, and she worked quick.
Her passes were accurate and she was all over the net, finding hitters.
“Their setter does a great job,” Gilbert coach Stacy Johnson said of Ludwig. “We knew that she runs a fast offense, so we had been prepping on that to try and get our block out there.”
Ludwig is one of the state’s most prolific setters and has accumulated an astounding 381 assists this season, best in 4A. She’s averaging 9.29 assists per set, in addition to 2.76 digs per set.
An honor for Heupel
It was a great day for Johnson, Grinley, and Ludwig, but none of them did what Greene County senior Aubrey Heupel did: receive an honor. In front of a home crowd, Heupel was recognized for reaching 1,000 career assists, which she piled up over the course of the past three years.
She showed on Thursday how accurate she can be, as she spread the ball around to teammates. This season, she’s racked up 233 assists.
Congratulations to Aubrey Heupel on this outstanding achievement!#RamPride #together pic.twitter.com/ZQnLhj1RCc
— Greene County Rams (@greenecntyrams) September 17, 2019