Volleyball: Mount Hebron over Marriott's Ridge

A volleyball match is a best of five contest. However, as many athletes will tell you, one play can make all the difference with split-second decisions and game play momentum being just as crucial as points.

That's exactly what the Mt. Hebron varsity volleyball team capitalized on when they visited number 11 ranked Marriott's Ridge for their second county match of the season. It took the Lady Vikings only three games to walk away with the victory, but it was winning the first game of the match that set the team on course for a "W."

Late in the first game, the Mustangs of Marriott's Ridge rallied from behind to tie the Vikings 23-23. The Hebron defense squandered a good pass opportunity, sending it astray into the basketball net high above the court. After taking a rather favorable bounce off the backboard, Mt. Hebron libero Taylor Baldwin shrewdly handled the pass allowing another teammate to bump it over the net for a kill. The scrappiness of the play deflated the Mustang's momentum and set the tone for next point allowing the Vikings to take the game 25-23.

From then on, Mt. Hebron cruised to victory with 25-17 and 25-15 wins, taking the match 3-0.

Mt. Hebron Head Coach Michael Moynihan acknowledged the significance of the first game. "After we won that point at 23-23, I knew we had taken control of the match," he said.

Senior middle hitter Katie Huston was the stand out player of the match, receiving Player of the Game honors from her coach and teammates. Her serving helped continue Hebron's dominance in the following games in addition to concluding the match with thunderous overpass kill.

The Lady Vikings improve to 2-0 on the season and will take on number 5 ranked Fallston this Wednesday at Mt. Hebron High School.

Full disclosure: Coach Michael Moynihan is the father of author and Local Patch Editor Jonathan Moynihan.