In the middle of a fantastic season up to this point, the Manchester volleyball team set its sights on conference play Thursday night as the team traveled to South Whitley to take on fellow area team Whitko. The Lady Squires put on a clinic in a straight-set victory, defeating the Lady ‘Cats 3-0 to remain perfect in Three Rivers Conference play.
The first game began with a very evenly matched start, with the two teams trading points in the early going. The Whitko serving was doing wonders for the Lady ‘Cats, as Manchester was having a hard time returning them cleanly. The Lady Squires were also shooting themselves in the foot, with a series of kills going long and out of bounds. This allowed the home side to start to open things up at 8-4.
Manchester was able to answer, scoring the next five points to take the lead just as quickly as they fell behind. This was followed up by another back-and-forth period of play that saw both sides struggle to gain control of the match. Late in the set, the score was tied at 15-15 and it was anybody’s game to win.
An ace by Whitko freshman Meridith Hindbaugh gave the Lady ‘Cats a 17-15 lead and forced Manchester to call the first timeout of the match. A few plays later, Brilee Enyeart had an ace of her own to give the Lady Squires a 18-17 lead. The visitors scored once more from this position to force a the home team to call for a stoppage.
Manchester continued to grow its lead after the break, going up four while approaching game point. Whitko didn’t go away quietly, cutting the deficit down to two at one point, but an ace by Manchester’s Ava Felgar gave the team a 25-20 win in set one.

Senior Marley Bellinger of Manchester bumps the ball during the first game. Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union.

After seizing the momentum late in set one, things began to rev for the Lady Squires in the second set. After splitting the first four points with Whitko, Manchester went on a run that saw them take a four-point lead. While the Lady ‘Cats were able to keep things from getting out of hand, the visitors were able to remain on top while the two sides inched closer to the 25-point threshold.
An ace by Myla Crozier extended the Manchester lead to five, their biggest of the set to that point. That seemed to be a springboard for the Lady Squires, as they continued to extend the lead from there. The Whitko defense was playing quite well, especially up front, using a series of blocks to force the visitors to make a play. More times than not, they would, keeping points alive with some impressive digs.
At 18-8, the lead had reached double figures. The Lady Squires showed no signs of slowing down, and they didn’t. Cruising to a 25-15 win, Manchester had taken a commanding 2-0 lead in the match on a kill by Elizabeth Renz.
Needing something and needing it as soon as possible, Whitko was able to get out to an early 4-2 lead in the third set. It didn’t last long though, as the Lady Squires scored three straight to get right back in front. The visitors didn’t stop there, continuing the run to seven straight and forcing a timeout by the Lady ‘Cats as the home side trailed 9-4.
Whitko responded well after the break, cutting it down to two, but that was as close as they’d get. The Lady Squires were relentless in their pressure, growing their lead up to six once more at 15-9. It grew from there, soon getting up to eight, then nine. Looking to avoid defeat, the home side gave one final push, getting things to within four, but it was not enough. Manchester would go on to win the final game 25-18 to take the final set, and the match, 3-0.
Manchester (13-2, 3-0 TRC) plays its next game Tuesday on the road against Rochester, while Whitko (4-5, 2-2 TRC) travels to Triton Saturday.