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RUTLEDGE – Gibbs is new to the volleyball district this season and on Tuesday night, the Grainger Lady Grizzlies showed them how tough their new league can be.

Grainger and the Lady Eagles battled in an epic five-game match before Gibbs was able to eek out a 3-2 victory. “There has been a lot of improvement from last week when we played Morristown West,” Lady Grizzlies head coach Jessica Maxey said. “Our mindsets are better and really, everything is better.”

Maddie Hurst was on full display in the first game as she appeared to be everywhere at all times on the court. She scored on power kills, drops over the net and emphatic blocks. Hurst produced two of Grainger’s seven straight points in the opening frame that allowed them to post a 21-13 advantage. One of the biggest highlights of the first game was when McKenna Key dropped a perfect return in the corner of Gibbs’ defense for a point to make it 24-18. The Lady Grizz picked up the final point of game one with a service ace to prevail 25-18. “Maddie is our leader and even though we are still trying to find that illusive first win, she is going to do everything in her power to get us to that point,” Maxey said of her senior star.

Grainger opened the second game with four straight points and later built a sizable lead at 13-7. After leading 19-13, the home team saw Gibbs climb back into the contest and tie things up at 20-20. After a couple of points for the Lady Grizzlies, Gibbs scored the final five points of the game to win 25-23 and knot things up at one game each. The momentum the Lady Eagles had in the second game carried over into the third one which Gibbs won 25-14 in the only game of the five that wasn’t particularly close. “We lost focus,” Maxey said of the end of the second game. “We got a little too excited in the second set and that did us in. We lost all of our momentum after losing that second game.”

The home team was able to rebound in the fourth game and began with a 12-7 lead. After that, both teams settled in for a hard-fought contest before Grainger returned the favor as they had a late rally to win game four 25-22 and force a deciding game five. “We came from behind just like we did (on Monday) at Sevier County,” Maxey stated. “We finally got our heads on straight.”

The final game was intense from the opening serve. Gibbs led 7-2 but Grainger wouldn’t go away quietly as they battled back to tie the game four times with the fourth being at 11-11. That was when Gibbs grabbed the momentum, however, and went on to the 15-11 win to take the match three games to two. “We needed cleaner play because those little mistakes can cost you,” Maxey said of the final set.

Grainger will host Claiborne Thursday night at The Den.