It was done at random, but the schedule maker of Watauga County middle school volleyball started the season with a trimatch involving three rivals at the same place.
Green Valley, Parkway and Hardin Park all met at Green Valley in their first trimatch of the season. Green Valley ended up sweeping Hardin Park and Parkway by beating Hardin Park 25-17, 20-25, 15-11, and Parkway 25-13, 25-3.
Hardin Park swept Parkway 25-9, 25-15.
Green Valley (2-0) trailed briefly in the first set with Hardin Park, but gradually took an 18-13 lead. The Eagles led 24-17 when Amber Parker knocked down the set-winning kill.
Hardin Park (1-1) retaliated by taking a 6-1 lead in the second set. Green Valley pulled to 12-11, but Hardin Park came back with a 22-14 lead that was never in any serious jeopardy of being overtaken. Green Valley rallied to within 24-20, but got no closer.
Green Valley took a 6-0 lead in the third set, but Hardin Park rallied to tie the set 8-8. The set was tied 10-10 when Green Valley, behind the serving of Rachel Sabo Hedges, reeled off four straight points to give the Eagles a 14-10 lead. Sabo Hedges had a serving ace during that run.
Hardin Park forced a sideout, but Green Valley won a rally on the next point and won the match.
Hardin Park cruised to a pair of victories over Parkway, the defending regular-season and tournament champion. The Golden Eagles turned a 5-3 lead into a 12-4 advantage before Parkway called time out. Back-to-back service aces by Maddie Darner sealed the first set victory.
Hardin Park, behind the serving of Emily Steinbacher, took a 10-0 lead in the second set.
Green Valley led 8-7 in the first set, but caught fire to take a 19-10 lead. Parkway struggled to stop Savannah Rusher’s jump serve in the second set.
Rusher served up an 8-0 lead. Seven of them were service aces.
Parkway (0-2) never recovered.