Huron holds off Norwalk in five sets

NORWALK — In the ultimate match of momentum, the Huron volleyball team was able to grab it back. After winning the first two sets in strong fashion, the Tigers were unable to put away Norwalk in a non-league match of traditional area powers Tuesday night at Norwalk High School. The Truckers pulled out a 26-24 win in the third set after trailing 24-22, then held off the Tigers in the fourth set, 25-23. But in the fifth and decisive set, it was all Huron. The Tigers raced out to a 9-1 lead and just traded points from there in a 15-6 win. Huron, which won the first two sets 25-10 and 25-12, improved to 2-1 overall with the win, while Norwalk fell to 1-2. Down 23-21 and facing a three-set sweep at home, Norwalk got a lob across off the hands of Ainslee King to pull within 23-22. A kill by Jada Foster put the Tigers up 24-22, only for Maddie Gamble to answer the same way for Norwalk. Some miscommunication by the Tigers then allowed a ball to hit the floor and tie the set at 24. Sydney Moehlman then took center stage for Norwalk and placed a ball down the line that stayed in for a 25-24 lead. She then extended the match with a kill from the left side for the 26-24 win. Now with momentum, the Truckers took control early in the fourth set and led 10-6. But back came the Tigers, and the set was tied at 20-20. Moehlman then made it 21-20 for Norwalk, then lobbed a ball that found the floor for a 22-20 advantage. Huron's Mya Smith put down a kill for a 22-21 deficit. Norwalk was then whistled for a net violation, but a big hit by King brought it back to a 23-22 lead. Huron's Reece Hotz got a lob to also find the floor to make it 24-23, but a block at the net went out of bounds off the Tigers to give Norwalk the 25-23 win. But in the fifth set, the Tigers took control early and never let up. After the first three points for Huron, Smith had a kill that found the back line to make it 4-1. An out of bounds hit made it 5-1, then Smith had another well-placed lob for a 6-1 lead. A couple more unforced errors put the Tigers up 9-1, then a long hit by Norwalk pushed the deficit to 10-1. But Norwalk shoed more fight, as King got a kill down and Gamble followed her with a kill right down the middle. A mis-hit made it 11-3 for Huron, but then a King tip that fell over and a service ace from the sophomore pushed Norwalk to within 12-5. Huron then hit a ball long to make it 12-6, but Smith put down a kill for 13-6 and Adelyn Van Sickle served an ace to make it 14-6. Norwalk then hit a ball out of bounds to give Huron the 15-6 win. Norwalk head coach Sarah Kipp said her team was able to get more consistent and grabbed confidence to get back in the match. "Our hitters kept the ball in play, and our blockers put hands in their faces, which caused them trouble to keep the ball in play," Kipp said. "And we let our defense set up better to dig the ball. Our consistency was much better than In the first two sets, where they served us off the floor. "Their serve was very good, and we struggled with it," Kipp added. "We have young kids all over the place in serve receive, and we were asking them to also hit the ball in six rotations." For Norwalk, King had 15 kills, while Gamble had 13. Moehlman added eight. Emily Tyler finished with 44 assists, while Sawyer Wineman led the defense with 28 digs. "There was a lot to take from tonight," Kipp said. "Huron has some big middles on their team who swing really well, and that will make us better in the long run. That's the goal in these non-league matches. "Huron is a team who will challenge and push your weaknesses, and coming out better at the end of the night doesn't always mean a notch in the win column. But ultimately, we are getting better for the back half of the season, which is the goal." Norwalk will host Sandusky in an SBC Lake match Thursday, then its annual Invitational on Saturday. SBC Bay contender Willard is among the six teams at the tournament. "The kids I have are relentless with the amount of fight they have," Kipp said. "The first two sets were ugly and chaotic, but they grabbed the reigns, took charge, and played well in sets three and four. "Huron probably has a bit more experience and they took charge in the fifth set. But our kids competed really well."