GREEN RIVER — The Green River Lady Wolves overcame a slow start at home Thursday night, rallying from an opening-set loss to defeat Evanston 3-1 in a matchup between two of the top teams in the 4A Southwest Conference.
The Lady Wolves lost their first set 25-21, then rallied to win 25-19, 25-20, and 25-16, handing the Lady Red Devils their first conference loss after Evanston entered the match with an 11-3 overall record. Green River improved after entering the week 7-6 following a 3-5 showing at last weekend’s Border Wars tournament.
The result also came in a matchup between two highly ranked teams. Evanston entered the week ranked No. 2 in the latest Wyoming Coaches and Media volleyball poll, while Green River dropped to No. 3 after holding the No. 2 spot throughout the season.
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The opening set was tightly contested early, with the teams tied 6-6 before Green River moved ahead 9-6. Evanston quickly answered, tying the set at 10-10 before building a 19-14 advantage. Green River responded after a timeout, pulling even at 19-19. Evanston regained control, however, taking a 22-20 lead before closing the set 25-21 to take a 1-0 advantage.
The Lady Wolves answered in the second set. After the teams opened tied at 2-2, Green River built leads of 5-2 and 6-3. Evanston settled in and eventually took a 7-6 lead before extending it to 11-7. Green River continued to battle and eventually took a 17-13 lead. Evanston again rallied, tying the set at 19-19, but the Lady Wolves responded following a timeout and pulled away. Green River scored the next three points to take a 22-19 lead and finished the set 25-19 to even the match at one set apiece.
From there, the Lady Wolves controlled the rest of the night.
Green River jumped to a 4-0 lead in the third set and stayed ahead, holding a 16-10 advantage. Evanston pushed back, cutting the deficit before tying the set at 19-19. Unlike the opening two sets, Evanston never took the lead in the third. Green River answered the tie with a 22-19 advantage and closed out the set 25-20 to take a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set followed a similar pattern, with Green River establishing control early, opening with an 8-1 lead and pushing the advantage to 14-7 before Evanston mounted another comeback. The Lady Red Devils cut the deficit to 14-12, forcing Green River to use a timeout. Green River responded by extending its lead to 16-14 and continued to pull away. The Lady Wolves led 20-15 before closing the match with a 25-16 fourth-set victory.
After Evanston led for portions of the first two sets, Green River never trailed in the final two sets. The Lady Wolves either held the lead or were tied throughout the third and fourth sets.
The victory gives Green River an important conference win early in the season and provides a boost after a difficult Border Wars tournament. The Lady Wolves will now turn their attention to another major test Friday when they travel to face No. 1 Kelly Walsh.
