GREENFIELD — Marissa Grigsby didn’t think she’d be able to give it a go on Tuesday.
The Greenfield-Central Cougars junior libero hurt her wrist in Saturday’s Shondell Family Invitational in Muncie.
She was hoping to be back in the lineup for Thursday’s key Hoosier Heritage Conference match at Class 4A No. 5 New Castle, but when Greenfield-Central lost its opening set against Class 1A No. 2 Cowan, which included eight Blackhawk service aces, it was time to change into her libero jersey.
“I decided I had to suck it up and get in there,” Grigsby said. “The (coaches) asked me (after the first set) if I wanted to change jerseys and I said I’d like to do that, anything to help the team.”
Grigsby helped key a stronger defensive performance in the final three sets, and that led to some rhythm on offense, as well, in the Cougars 3-1 come-from-behind win.
After losing the first set 17-25, Greenfield-Central took control, taking the final three 25-18, 25-15, 25-20.
“I didn’t know how we were going to come out tonight,” Cougars coach Ron Heck said of his club after having a busy Saturday, playing four matches, including the championship, a 2-0 loss to Class 3A No. 1 Muncie Burris, at the invitational.
Along with changing the lineup, Heck changed the defensive plan for the second set. It helped take away where the Blackhawks had success on the attack.
“We started out with the traditional middle-middle defense, but we’ve been focusing on this rotational shift defense,” he said. “Once we threw that at them, Cowan recognized it was no longer there. We took away their angles and their chip shots. The first set we did not run that, and our libero, Marissa Grigsby, was reading really well tonight.”
Grigsby had a team-best 17 digs, while only playing three of the four sets.
“My wrist stopped cramping (after it was taped) and I figured I could go and get out there and at least try to get some passes up,” Grigsby said. “I was really nervous that I would hurt it.
“I got lower (on my passing) and stayed aggressive. Once I wrapped it, I thought, ‘I think I can do this.’”
Grigsby was getting the ball to setters Morgan Hornaday and Ali Knecht, who were able to find the Cougar attackers. Hornaday also had 10 digs.
In the fourth and final set, five different hitters had at least two kills.
For the match, junior outside hitter Ava Antic led the attack with 14 kills. Makayla Price, who started the game as the libero, had nine, including six in the final set. Brooke Herrell also had nine kills, while middle hitter Kenley Carpenter had eight. Middle hitter Molly Schwarzkopf had four, including three in the fourth set.
“Between (the first two sets), we had a conversation about how this is our house and we have to own our house. We have to finish plays and put the ball down,” Greenfield-Central assistant coach Paige Heck said. “We had a really good Muncie tournament and we had to channel that energy we had Saturday. It helped to get Makayla back on the front row.”
Price was back in a more familiar place (after the first set) and so was Grigsby, taped up wrist and all.
“I just think our team is so accustomed to Grigsby in that libero jersey,” Ron Heck said. “They feed off her because she is reading so well defensively and nothing is getting by her. I think how she goes right now, we go offensively.
“Her defense makes our offense better.”
With the victory Tuesday, the Cougars snapped Cowan’s seven-match winning streak. Cowan dropped to 11-2. The Blackhawks previous loss was to Muncie Burris. Greenfield-Central is 11-3 and has won four of its last five matches heading into Thursday’s showdown at New Castle.
