web1_iris.jpeg

Luzerne County to proceed with suit against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors

web1_118679583-a73e414f98ac423da6c2dbe67eb647d9.jpg

‘Obamacare’ survives; GOP concedes on last-gasp repeal try

WRIGHT TWP. &#8212; They slapped hands and celebrated as the screams bounced off the walls of a sauna-like Crestwood gymnasium.Really, you can&#8217;t blame the Meyers players. It&#8217;s been a long time since the Wilkes-Barre school has been in this position: Sitting at 7-1 and in a tie for second in the Wyoming Valley Conference girls&#8217; volleyball standings.And it&#8217;s probably been equally as long since the team picked up a victory over the Comets. But that all changed Tuesday as the Mohawks rallied after dropping the first set en route to a 3-1 victory. Set scores were 24-26, 26-24, 25-22 and 25-20.&#8220;We are very excited for this,&#8221; said Meyers senior Chloe Delp, who finished with six kills. &#8220;For most of us, it&#8217;s our senior year. I think we are surprising teams. We have a lot of returning players that have been playing three and four years together. That makes a huge difference. This win, it feels amazing.&#8221;The Mohawks might just be the conference surprise of the 2017 season &#8211; picking up nice victories over Crestwood, Berwick, North Pocono and Dallas thus far.Yes, probably a little bit of a stunner to the casual volleyball on-looker. Not really inside the program, which qualified for the District 2 Class 2A playoffs last season, but only had a combined six wins between 2013 and 2015.&#8220;We are kind of like the underdogs,&#8221; Meyers first-year coach Jocelyn Robertson said. &#8220;But these girls are playing phenomenal right now. They are working so hard, and they deserve this. It&#8217;s been four long, hard years for this. They have been working really hard for this moment. We saw potential in these seniors when they were just freshmen. We always felt that this could be their year to prove they could do this.&#8221;<ins>Composure and resilience. Probably the best two words to describe Meyers&#8217; night. </ins><ins>The Mohawks never dropped their heads after two straight aces by Crestwood&#8217;s Natashia Geisler clinched the first set for the Comets. </ins><ins>Instead, Meyers raced out to a 17-11 lead in the second and held on for the 26-24 victory to knot up the match. </ins><ins>And it was a team effort to dig out of a 21-18 hole in the third stanza. Strong serves by Tattiana Monroe. Digs to the front row by Delp and Aylssa Lane. Timely one-overs by Ilequea Adams. Just like that, Meyers won seven of the final eight points of the set to grab a 2-1 edge in the match. </ins><ins>The fourth belonged to 6-foot junior middle Da&#8217;Nayia Ballard, who spiked five of her 12 kills in the period. With Delp&#8217;s low serves almost skimming the top of the net, Meyers jumped out to a 12-4 lead. Crestwood trimmed the deficit back to 15-14, but two kills by Delp and a spike by Kelsey Flores grew the Mohawks lead to 22-16. </ins><ins>&#8220;They made fewer mistakes than us, and when you put two equal teams together, the team that makes less mistakes usually wins,&#8221; Crestwood head coach Mike Williams said. &#8220;Their front row was taller than ours, and they used it to their advantage. I thought (Da&#8217;Nayia) was the difference. We knew that Chloe would make some plays, but with the way she got the ball over the block, we didn&#8217;t expect it.&#8221; </ins>The victory keep Meyers on pace for the No. 3 seed in the upcoming 2A playoff race, although the schedule is about to tighten up. The Mohawks will have state-ranked Holy Redeemer, defending district 3A champ Greater Nanticoke Area and 4A schools Delaware Valley and Wyoming Valley West in the upcoming weeks.&#8220;Honestly, I think these girls want the challenge,&#8221; Robertson said. &#8220;They want to prove themselves. They can&#8217;t wait for the chance to play with these teams. I don&#8217;t think people expected us to start 7-1. I&#8217;ve heard from some people that we&#8217;ve surprised them. But the players deserve it. They worked hard to get here.&#8221;Dallas 3,Hazleton Area 0Gianna Musto made 19 kills and Caitlyn Pike dished out 35 assists as the Mountaineers pulled out a tough 25-15, 25-23, 25-23 victory.Shelby Carr served 13 points, including four aces, and made eight kills in the victory. Angie Allen added 10 service points, with four aces.Delaware Valley 3,Wyoming Valley West 0Grace Giza made 11 kills and eight digs for Valley West, but Delaware Valley overcame it in a 25-19, 25-13, 25-22 victory.Giza also made four blocks, while Andi Blaski served five points and Tessa Johns finished with 12 assists for Valley West.Nanticoke 3,North Pocono 0North Pocono&#8217;s Maddie Hughes made 13 digs and Lilly Thompson served eight points, but Nanticoke captured a 25-22, 25-16, 25-14 victory.Wyoming Area 3,Lake-Lehman 1Brandi Sorokin made 12 kills and three blocks, leading the Warriors to a 23-25, 25-11, 25-20, 25-11 victory.Monica Henderson served nine aces in the victory, and Olivia Astolfi had six kills.<ins>Meyers 3, Crestwood 1 </ins><ins>M `24`25`25`25 &#8211; 3 </ins><ins>C `26`24`22`20 &#8211; 1 </ins><ins>Meyers Leaders: Chloe Delp 6 kills, 3 aces, 14 assists; Da&#8217;Nayia Ballard 12 kills; Tattiana Monroe 6 kills, 10 points. </ins><ins>Crestwood Leaders: Natashia Geisler 12 kills, 4 aces, 11 points; Kristen Kania 5 kills, 3 aces; Helena Dardine 6 kills, 2 blocks. </ins><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_web1_Volleyball2-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_web1_Volleyball2-3.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Tom FoxFor Times Leader</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @TLSports</shirttailMeta></div>

Meyers continues volleyball excitement with win over Crestwood