Big Run from Galliher Keys Taconic Win at Pittsfield
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – On a Taconic volleyball team laden with juniors and seniors, it was sophomore Jadyn Galliher who delivered the biggest points of Tuesday’s three-set win over PIttsfield High.
Galliher went to the service line with her team up a set but down, 23-20, in the second.
She delivered five straight points – two on aces – and sent the Thunder on to a 25-17, 25-23, 25-17 win that snapped a two-game losing streak for Taconic.
“It was definitely our serves,” Taconic captain and primary setter Brenna McNeice said. “Jadyn Galliher was the one who was serving. She definitely brought us back with her amazing serving.
“She’s our only sophomore. It’s all upperclassmen except for her. So it’s a big job for her.”
And Galliher was up to the task, leading the Thunder with nine aces to go with nine digs and three kills.
“Jadyn had another great night tonight,” Taconic coach Lance Fyfe said. “Really impressive serving. She had a couple of nice swings.
“That [second set run] really lit us up, too. Anything like that just fires us up even more, and they fed off of it. A lot of the credit does go to Jadyn tonight.”
Galliher started the night with a lower pressure but equally impactful run of six points in the first set, giving Taconic an 11-3 lead before the Generals were able to earn a sideout.
Pittsfield never got closer than five points the rest of the way. The next time Galliher’s turn on the service line came around, she got a kill from Nevaeh Williams (six kills, five digs) to help set up match point, which came on a Pittsfield service error.
The Generals (1-6) responded after the eight-point loss in the opening set to go back and forth against the Thunder most of set No. 2.
Pittsfield erased a three-point Taconic lead in the middle of the set when Hailey Rumlow recorded a block for a sideout and Amanda Pou served three straight points to give the Generals a 15-14 lead.
Two rotations later, PHS went ahead, 19-17, on Rumlow’s serve, and points from Paola Reinoso and Ava Brazeau pushed the lead to 23-19.
“My girl played their hearts out,” Pittsfield coach Brennah Brickle said. “In a cross-town rivalry like this, you’re always going to see a lot of excitement, a lot of crazy energy from the fans and from the players. So it was a great game. I’m very proud of all my players.”
Taconic got the serve back when Pittsfield could not cover a free ball from Taconic libero Ciana Bennett (10 digs, 16 serve receives), and that brought the serve to Galliher, who put away the set.
An eight-point service run by Nyashia Daniels (four kills, four blocks, three aces) early in the third set gave Taconic a 12-5 lead.
Pittsfield pulled back within three, but then four points on the serve of Naomi Tayi (five kills, three digs, two aces) gave Taconic a 21-13 lead, and the Thunder pulled away.
Pou led Pittsfield with five aces. Rumlow finished with a team-high five kills.
Brickle said Pittsfield will be ready for its next match, a rematch with the Thunder on Valentine Road on Monday.
“We’ll definitely be taking notes on what they do a lot and what we can do better to keep them on their toes,” she said.
Fyfe, whose team goes to Ware on Friday, said he knew before his team hit the floor on Tuesday that the Thunder (7-2) was ready to roar.
“I’'ve never seen this team get as excited about playing another team as they did tonight,” he said. “The hype started over the weekend, and today it reached a level that kind of put them in auto pilot.
“The energy on and off the court tonight was pretty crazy, as was the pump up bus ride down East Street as we approached PHS. I really didn't need to do much coaching tonight as they were pretty much ready for anything that PHS threw at us.”
Video: Taconic co-captain Brenna McNeice talks about what allowed the Thunder to earn a bounce back win on Tuesday evening.
Video: Taconic’s Jadyn Galliher serves a key ace late in the second set of Tuesday’s win at Pittsfield.
Video: Taconic’s Ciana Bennett puts away match point on Tuesday at Pittsfield High.