The Spartan Center was rocking on Tuesday night when Carbon and Emery met on the court. There was a lot riding on the game for both teams. The Dinos came into the match with a 13-1 recorded and were ranked #1 in the RPI standings in 3A. Due to a lesser strength of schedule, the 14-0 Spartans were ranked #2. On top of that, it was a region game, and, of course, the rivalry aspect always makes for an entertaining evening.
The Dinos put the pressure on the Spartans with a 10-6 lead in the first set. Emery answered back with a 7-0 run to go up 13-10. Both teams were great at blocking at the net, forcing the hitters to adjust. Carbon tied it back up at 16 and then the squads matched each other point for point down the stretch. The first to find breathing room were the Spartans with a mini 3-0 run to take a 23-20 lead. The Dinos continued to fight, but Emery held on to take the first set 25-23.
Once more, the Dinos started with the hot hand. There was no panic on the Emery sideline, however, as the Spartans slowly began to take control. Madisyn Childs and sophomore Abby Morris were quite the duo. It seemed like every time the Spartans needed a play, one of the two would come through. Emery continued to apply pressure and went up 2-0 with a 25-20 win in the second set.
Carbon’s athleticism and ability was on display all night, but the cohesion exhibited by the Spartans gave Emery the upper hand. The Spartans’ six seniors demonstrated a level of trust and experience that the Dinos could not match. One of those seniors, Hallie Winn took over the third set with at least five kills as Emery finished off the Dinos 25-21.
With the sweep, the Spartans have now won 10 straight games by a score of 3-0. In other words, it has been over three weeks since Emery has even lost a set. The ladies in gold and black are certainly clicking and any one of them could be selected as the Tram Electric Player of the game. As a result, three were named, Childs, Morris and Winn, the Tram Electric Players of the Game.
There are a lot of matches left, but after watching the two rivals go at it on Tuesday night, it is hard not to look forward the rematch, which will take place on Oct. 19 in Price. That match-up marks the last game of the season for both teams, meaning there will be even more riding on that game, not to mention it will also be senior night for the Dinos. ETV will be doing a full broadcast for the finale as well, so mark your calendars.
However, to wrap up this week, Emery (15-0, 2-0) will head to Moab on Thursday to play Grand (3-9, 0-3). The Dinos (13-2, 1-1), on the other hand, will head home and gear up for American Heritage (9-5) on Friday.
