The old adage "practice makes perfect" came true for the Franklin volleyball team Tuesday evening.
Franklin came into its first match of the year against a seasoned Greenwood team with a lot of practice and some questions on how its initial outing would go.
After some slow starts, the Grizzly Cubs finished up furiously, beating their rival in three straight games, 25-19, 25-22 and a seesaw 28-26 third game that nobody wanted to lose.
It was that practice that helped Franklin, despite the fact the Woodmen were the more experienced team in actual games with two coming into this one.
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According to rookie Franklin coach Jess Giles — a former Grizzly Cub star herself — her players were eager to see how they stacked up to the competition.
“We’ve only been practicing against ourselves, so I just wanted to see how they would react against another team, and I’m really pleased with how they did,” Giles said.
While on paper it looked like a romp, it really was anything but.
Greenwood had taken leads in all three games, including a quick 4-0 start in the first and what seemed like a safe 19-14 margin in the third.
However, the first set gave an indication of what Franklin was all about — fighting back and keeping Greenwood from stringing together a run of points.
Down 9-4, Franklin freshman Scarlett Kimbrell served, and she helped the Cubs score five straight points to tie the game up at 9-all. The Cubs grabbed the lead and didn’t surrender it to take the first game.
It wasn’t any easier in game two, though after a 6-6 tie, Franklin again didn’t trail, maintaining a healthy four- or five-point lead until the Woodmen rallied to pull within a point, 23-22.
Franklin then scored the next two points to make it two straight.
The third game looked like Greenwood’s to win when they were up five, but this time senior Megan Thompson’s serving pulled Franklin within one.
The score was tied four times before Franklin overpowered the Woodmen to win the final set.
“I’m happy that we finished this set and we didn’t have to go to four,” Giles said. “I think that shows something about their mental capabilities.”
Senior Cami Kelsay had 17 kills for Franklin, while teammate Thompson added 13. Kimbrell had four aces.
“Scarlett rose to the occasion,” said Giles. “We still need to work on connections, but I thought it was a great game.
“Just like practice.”
Greenwood (1-2) might have been a bit tired, both physically and emotionally after a five-set win over Greenwood Christian the previous night.
Melia Gorrell had 16 assists for the Woodmen, while Mya Ayro and Siena Halfaker had six kills apiece.
“The girls realized they can run with Franklin,” Greenwood coach Natalie Kitchin said. “But we can’t wait until it’s 25-25 to get into gear.”
