Route 8 rivalry at the net goes to fifth set to settle

Fundamentals in sports is generally what sets one team apart from another. Tuesday's Route 8 rivalry match up between Franklin and Oil City girls volleyball squads showed that fundamentals meant everything in the way each set swung.

Franklin began well with digs, good passing and adequate sets that allowed some well placed spikes. As a team they took advantage of a slow start by the Oilers who struggled to pass. Franklin did let Oil City stay in it but held on to win the first set 25-21. They were aided, in part, to poor serving by the Oilers, an issue that would plague them in the final two sets.
​Fundamentals.

Whatever Oil City coach Deb Brink said to her girls between sets, and whatever Franklin coach Matt Jones didn't say to his squad seemed pretty important as the Oilers came out swinging. Their serves were well placed and over the net. They jumped way out with a 7-0 run. Franklin never recovered dropping that set 25-13.

Oil City continued in the third set holding off Franklin who was off-kilter and not getting good sets for kills overall.
Fundamentals.
​Timeouts by Jones to correct the issues only temporality slowed the Oilers and they dropped the set 25-21.

Then in the fourth set the Oilers became unraveled.
Fundamentals.
​They suddenly couldn't dig a ball to save their life and fell behind. It was almost a mirror image of what they did to Franklin in the second. They managed to settle down and caught mostly up, but was never able to regain momentum.

Franklin held on to take the fourth set 25-21 forcing a fifth tie-breaker set.

It is hard to say whether Franklin came out to win the final set or if Oil City came out to loose it. The Oilers suddenly just couldn't get a serve over the net allowing Franklin to get six free points in a row after already establishing a five point cushion.
Fundamentals.
The match ended with Franklin taking the tie-breaker 15-12

A bit of really great to witness sportsmanship and respect for the game came late in the contest when a call went against Franklin on a ball that was clearly in, but called out. Oil City coach Deb Brink stopped the action and challenge to officials to reevaluate the call. She clearly pointed out the ball, that landed a few feet from her sideline position was in. The officials huddled and decided they couldn't reverse the call. Brink seemed mystified.

That is sportsmanship at its finest. Beautiful!

​Fundamentals.

To see where the two squads play next and to see what they will be up against please see this story we published yesterday about the area out look of teams and the squad schedules.

Below are a couple more photos from the match and a link to even more.

​To see more photos click here.