Catching a spark

The first set was a slow burn for the Patriots.

The Jets started the second strong, but Mya Kunkler’s height and ability to predict the path of the shot sparked a  run.

In the third, the senior middle blocker contributed four of the first seven points to establish a strong lead.

Kunkler played a key role in the Jay County High School volleyball team’s 25-16, 25-20, 25-18 victory over the Adams Central Jets on Tuesday.

“I was really happy with tonight,” said JCHS coach Amy Dillon. “When I got home Saturday, I looked over everything and it wasn’t a terrible day. We just don’t play our best volleyball on Saturdays sometimes, but tonight we had our spark back.”

That spark finally ignited into a flame midway through the second set.

The Patriots (10-6, 3-0 Allen County Athletic Conference) trailed 15-10 before an attack error by Jillian Brotherton gave them the ball back.

Kunkler then recorded back-to-back blocks — two of seven for her — as she met a ball at the net after the Jets’ back line returned a serve from Elizabeth Barnett and she stuffed Brotherton.

Jay County proceeded to rip off four more points, including kills from Hallie Schwieterman, who had a match-high 10, and Ella Rigby, who got to see the outside a little bit for the first time in a match.

“I was just going up and following the ball no matter what,” Kunkler said. “That stretch was big, just to get something to go off of and create a run.”

Adams Central (9-7, 0-2 ACAC) managed to regain a 19-18 advantage, but a Schwieterman kill got the ball back to the Patriots’ side. Lani Muhlenkamp then carried JCHS to a win in the set, serving up three of her match-high four aces in a 6-0 run.

Jay County picked up right where they left off in the second set with a 7-1 start to the third.

Kunkler was also a key part to that third, opening with a block of Brotherton. A service error by Kayla Jetmore gave the Jets their sole point of the run. Kunkler and Schwieterman then bounced back with three kills from the former and two aces by the latter.

The Patriots let Adams Central get within three points twice throughout the set, but never allowed the momentum to fully shift in the Jets’ favor.

Control of the first set went back and forth, but Jay County’s middle blockers provided trouble for Adams Central’s attackers despite only getting one block. The young Jets ended with 10 of their 21 attacking errors in the first set while trying to hit around blockers.

“That was a lot of what we worked on last night,” Dillon said about the production she got out of her middles. “Saturday, we blocked so many balls out of bounds. We tell them all the time, ‘We’ve got to press. You have to turn your hands in.’ But easier said than done, right?

“So last night we ran a drill that worked on a lot of different things. A lot of out of system stuff, a lot of defense and a lot of blocking that outside ball and transitioning to be a big hitter and I think it helped.

The Patriots now hold a half game lead over South Adams, which is 2-0, in the ACAC standings. Heritage is also still perfect in conference play with one victory. Jay County will face the final three teams in the two coming weeks and will look to continue the strong start against the other title contenders.

“I think if we can keep our spark, then we can keep our consistency,” Dillon said. “One thing that we’ve been talking about is building off of that person who is having a really great night.”