Last week, missing its lone setter and on the verge of coughing away a two-set lead at longtime nemesis Franklin, the Greenwood volleyball team knew exactly what it needed to do to close things out.
Get the ball to Mya Ayro.
It mattered not that everyone on the other side of the net knew who the Woodmen were going to set on match point, because when Ayro is in her bag there isn’t much the opposing side can do.
Sure enough, the junior outside hitter powered home her 34th kill of the evening, slamming the door shut on a dramatic five-set victory and a decade-long series losing streak.
“She finds a way,” Greenwood coach Natalie Kitchin said. “If you block her, she’s going to come harder.”
At 5-foot-11, Ayro isn’t really tall enough to stick out the moment she walks in the gym, but her combination of size, power and athleticism has helped her become one of the most dangerous players in the area.
It has also boosted the Woodmen, who come into tonight’s match at Whiteland with a good deal of confidence — especially after beating the Grizzly Cubs last week for the first time in at least a decade.
Heck, Greenwood hadn’t won a set off of Franklin in that long. But with Ayro leading the way, the team believes it can beat the teams it hadn’t been able to beat in the past.
Kitchin noted that her star hitter has stepped forward in a number of different ways.
“We have talked a lot about confidence and leadership, and she’s that leader on the court,” the coach said. “She’s always been the physical leader on the court, and we really have just talked to her about being the vocal leader as well.
“The girl is — it’s obvious she’s our number one, so everyone looks up to her, and she’s just bringing that actual vocal part of the leadership up now.”
And she’s not doing it alone. Greenwood has another solid leader in senior Jenna Armstrong, and they’re supported by a deep and experienced lineup that has started to believe in one another.
“We have more trust, and you can tell on the court,” Ayro said. “We just rely on each other a lot easier.”
When it comes down to crunch time, though, the Woodmen are going to rely on Ayro more often than not. She was the team’s go-to option when it fell a set behind at Greenwood Christian, finishing with 19 kills, and again a day later when it finally got the Grizzly Cub off of its back.
Even with starting setter Ella Dean (dislocated elbow) out for Greenwood’s four tournament matches at Ben Davis on Saturday, Ayro has 95 kills on the season, a shade over 4.5 per set.
And it’s not just the kills. Ayro plays all the way around for Greenwood, and her back-row contributions (seven aces against GCA, 17 digs at Franklin) have been almost as valuable as her attacking, even if they’re not quite as noticeable.
Ayro’s recent performances have been so strong that even opposing coaches can’t help but be impressed.
“She’s a super aggressive hitter, and I really enjoyed watching her,” Franklin coach Jess Giles said after their match.
Fortunately — or not, depending which side of the net you’re on — Giles and everyone else in Johnson County will have the pleasure of watching Ayro do her thing for a good while longer.
