WAYNESBORO, Pa. – The Waynesboro Maidens varsity volleyball team swept the Shippensburg Greyhounds in their Mid-Penn Colonial Division match on Tuesday.
Waynesboro erased an early 3-3 tie in the first set of the team’s annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night and coasted to a 25-15 win. The Maidens took one step closer to a straight-set win after prevailing 25-11 in the second game. Waynesboro clinched the sweep with a 25-9 win in the third set.
Waynesboro head coach Emily Nystrom had to put in a little bit more time drawing up her lineup. Prior to the match, all the players were introduced, with each player playing for someone affected by breast cancer. And Nystrom played them all.
“Going into this game, I was hoping that I would be able to get everyone in, so I had my lineup. I knew who I wanted to go where. It just worked out,” Nystrom said.
Everyone who played contributed in some way to the team’s win, something Nystrom credits the players who don’t get much playing time.
“I’m very proud of them. A lot of them don’t get a lot of playing time. And that just goes to show how hard they continue to show up to practice every day and keep putting in, uncertain of their playing time,” Nystrom said.
In addition to Tuesday’s starters Maddie Nystrom, Kara Eskridge, Sarah Aldrich, Chloe Shacreaw, Bryn Reed and Lylah Shacreaw, Baily Dill, Kayaunna Mouer, Allison Strauwser, Bailey Kirkpatrick, Kai Walker, Jaylyn Wentz and Ruby Beck played, making the win a true team effort.
Reed served for four straight aces to extend the home team’s lead from 6-4 to 10-4 as they pulled away in the first set. Eskridge, who amassed 25 set assists, served up two aces, while Aldrich (19 kill points) recorded one of her well-executed kills.
Shippensburg’s only lead of the second set was 1-0. Lylah Shacreaw, Eskridge and Aldrich then executed a beautiful dig-set-spike combination to tie the game. Waynesboro began asserting itself in all phases en route to the 14-point win. Reed served the final two points, including her fifth ace of the contest.
“It’s a confidence booster, which we really need going into Thursday night (against Greencastle-Antrim),” said Nystrom.
Lylah Shacreaw registered 12 digs. Nystrom and Mouer each had six digs. Kirkpatrick had four kills.
Waynesboro shook off a five-set loss to Northern York last Thursday to improve to 10-6, 6-2 Colonial. Only two league matches remain with a logjam near the top of the division. After the rematch with G-A, Waynesboro will host West Perry on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Photos by Toya McCleary
