The Beresford Watchdog volleyball team hosted the Yankton Gazelles on Thursday, September 1st. Beresford got their first home win of the season in a five-set thriller.
Beresford opened the match on fire and built an early 10-3 lead. Yankton battled to pull within three, 13-10, but the Watchdogs held the rally and extended their lead to 19-13. Beresford didn’t let Yankton any closer as they took the first set 25-15. After a 9-9 tie in the second set, Yankton went on a big run. The Gazelles outscored Beresford 8-1 for a 17-10 advantage. Yankton was able to cruise from there to a 25-17 second set win.
The Gazelles started with early momentum in the third set as they took an 8-4 lead. Beresford battled to tie the set 9-9, and the two teams went back-and-forth through the middle stages. The Watchdogs were able to pull away late and held a 22-18 lead. They continued that push and won the third set 25-20. Neither team was able to get a big advantage early in the fourth set, though Beresford did hold a two-point lead. Yankton was able to tie the score 14-14, and then the Gazelles were able to push ahead, 20-18. The lead grew to 24-20, and the Gazelles won the fourth set 25-21 to force the fifth and final set of the match.
The Watchdogs delivered the first blow in the fifth set as they jumped out to an 8-3 lead. The Gazelles did not give up as they roared back to within two points a few times, the latest at 13-11. The Watchdogs got the next point for a 14-11 lead to set up match point. The Gazelles won the next two points on good volleys to pull within a point 14-13, but their next serve went into the next giving Beresford a 15-13 win.
