SMYRNA, De. -- In what was a highly anticipated battle between two undefeated 9-0 squads, it was the Saint Mark's Spartans winning a classic 3-2 (21-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-20, 15-13) over the Smyrna Eagles earlier tonight.
The visitors from Wilmington can be proud about this win for a wide variety of reasons - most notably the ability to stay composed and go into a raucous environment that was deafening from the opening serve.
Additionally, they also can say they were pushed to the brink, as this win was far from a sure thing. The Eagles held a 2-1 lead after three sets and appeared to have momentum in the fourth with a 14-12 lead.
However, as it was all night, just when it seemed like the Spartans number was up, they would respond and stand tall. Sophomore Brynnly Guth, Junior Reagan Garibaldi, and Senior Ava Borcky led a strong counterattack to force a deciding set.
The fifth and final set was enigmatic of this entire match; a back-and-forth affair that saw the lead stay within four points. The score would knot itself up at 13-13, before Garibaldi captured a huge block point to move Saint Mark's within one-point of victory.
Then, in the match point, Smyrna's potential game-tying hit went just far to give the visitors the victory by the slimmest of margins.
This win moves the defending Delaware State Runner Ups to 10-0 on the season. This was their final road matchup of the regular season, as they begin the first of a five game homestand against Appoquinimink this Thursday at 7:15.
For Smyrna, this was their first blemish of the season, as they fall to 9-1. They will look to avoid back-to-back losses in their next matchup at Sussex Tech on Thursday at 5:15.
