Last year, C. Milton Wright and Fallston battled it out in three close matches. The Cougars won the first two, but in the end, it was the Mustangs that prevailed for a regional crown.
In Tuesday’s season opener for both teams, the Mustangs got the best of things this go around, defeating host Fallston, 25-22, 22-25, 25-14, 25-19.
“I would call this a rivalry,” said Mustangs senior Ana Mioduski, who finished with 15 kills. “While I think very highly of Fallston, I knew this was an important [match] for us. We made a lot of mistakes out there, but it was important for us to get a win and start the senior on a good note.”
No. 13 C. Milton Wright looked like two different teams. The Mustangs and Cougars split the first two sets with identical 25-22 scores, but in the end the Mustangs’ experience proved to be too much for Fallston to overcome.
“It’s the first match of the season and we knew they would be gunning for us,” Mustangs coach Dave Naugle said. “I feel like our talent on paper is very good, but we played a little sloppier than we should. We got the W and well go back to the drawing board and see what’s wrong and fix it.”
Both teams made a lot of mistakes in the first set. Fallston had a 17-12 lead before CMW, behind a serving run by Mioduski, went on a 5-0 run to tie the match at 17. The teams traded points until it was 22-22, but Wright got a key kill by Mioduski to make it 24-22 and then an ace by Olivia Kobb to win the set, 25-22.
The second set looked a lot like the first. The Cougars led 22-21, but this time, behind the serving of Emma Nigro and kills by Sam Ruth and Sloane Mister, Fallston took the second set, 25-22.
The third set belonged to CMW. The Mustangs, behind serving runs by Mioduski and Rachel Bolt, rushed out to a 10-3 lead and never looked back. The closest Fallston could get down the stretch was within 10 at 23-13, before a Lena Rockhill kill ended the set at 25-14.
“We were more aggressive and played with more confidence [in the third set],” Bolt said. “We realized we could beat them and the shots started falling. This is a good first win for us and I think it sets the tone for the rest of the season.”
The last set was a bit more competitive, but Wright jumped out to a 22-14 lead before Naugle began to empty his bench and the Mustangs won the set, 25-19, and the match.
Fallston coach Chris Kraft, who was coaching his first varsity match, pointed to his team’s execution in the final two sets as the reason for the loss.
“I thought we didn’t serve as well,” Kraft said. “We were giving them a lot of freeballs and they were taking advantage. We hit well in the first two games, but then the hitting stopped. When that happens, the passing went with it. With a good team like that, they capitalize on that.”
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