Youthful Corydon drops match to Meade

Opening the volleyball season at home, Corydon Central kept pace with Meade County (Ky.) through much of the first game. The Green Wave, however, used the attack of Jolynn Cannady and spotty passing by the Lady Panthers to pull away.
Keeping the pace to their advantage, Meade County eventually landed a 25-17, 25-9, 25-12 victory in the opener for both squads.
Corydon Central scored the first point of the match, watching a Green Wave attack sail out of bounds. The lead grew to three points early on in the opening game, thanks to a back-row kill from freshman Jessie Johnson and sophomore Grace Carver ace.
Swapping points, junior Taylor Johnson gave the Lady Panthers a 7-5 edge. Meade County rallied with the play of Sydney King and Cannady at the net. Three straight attacks between them prompted Meade County’s first lead, 10-9.
Corydon Central went back on top at 13-12 via a Green Wave side-out. From there, the visitors won six of the next seven points.
A Maddie Fessel ace brought Corydon Central within two at 18-16, but that would be as close as the Lady Panthers came. Maggie Millay registered a key late block for Meade County, while game one ended at 25-17 via a King kill.
‘The first game was great; we were playing point-for-point with them,’ Corydon Central coach Jessica Guiffre said. ‘We were swinging great, and our passing was on. Our biggest thing is we are a young team and we get into our own heads, and it’s hard to come back from that.’
The Lady Panthers sport one senior on the roster: setter Haley Skinner.
Guiffre, a first-year coach with the Lady Panthers, is eager for the future.
‘It’s definitely a rebuilding year,’ she said. ‘We have areas to work on. We have one upperclassman and about six juniors with the rest freshmen and sophomores. We have a lot of potential. I’ve seen a lot of improvement just from the summer up until now. I’m excited to see how the season will go.’
In game two, Corydon Central led 3-1 on a series of wayward Meade County strikes. The service game of Millay, utilizing a top-spin jump serve, prompted a pair of aces to give Meade County an edge they wouldn’t relinquish.
Passing became an issue for the Lady Panthers in game two, seeing the Green Wave account for six aces. Three came way of Cannady.
‘Passing and serving is big,’ Guiffre said. ‘We are not a big team by any means, but we have some heart. We have areas we have to work on.’
Corydon Central managed to put up a few blocks from junior Hannah Marshall, Carver and Fessel in the second game.
It took some time for the Lady Panthers to peel Carla Bravo off the service line in game three. Bravo was part of serving 16 straight winning points, including two aces, for Meade County.
Meade County jumped ahead 17-1 before the Lady Panthers won a battle at the net for a point. Not showing much quit, Corydon Central went on a 10-3 run to close the gap to 22-12.
Behind the service game of Fessel, Corydon Central’s spurt featured a pair of aces by the junior middle hitter.
‘Maddie is a fantastic server,’ Guiffre said. ‘She’s one of our most consistent servers and was an asset for us today.’
Corydon Central’s run of positive play late in game three wasn’t enough as Meade County closed out game-point with a Maggie Kamber ace.
‘It kills me when they get down like that,’ Guiffre said of the third game. ‘They are 15- and 16-year-old girls. They have a lot of heart. I look forward to the rest of the season.’
Cannady led the Green Wave with nine kills and four aces.
Corydon Central will return home tomorrow (Thursday) to face Mid-Southern Conference-foe Eastern (Pekin).