AT THE NET — Edison’s Graclynn Dray tries to split the outstretched hands of Buckeye Local’s Brooke Kovalski and Jenna DelVecchio. - Mike Hughes

RICHMOND — While neither Buckeye Local nor Edison entered Wednesday’s volleyball matchup in Richmond with a sparkling record, that didn’t stop the two squads for putting on a show for the crowd in attendance.

After capturing the first two sets, Buckeye Local had to dig deep in the fifth set to secure the 25-17, 25-23, 16-25, 19-25 15-8 victory against an upstart Wildcats’ team that showed no signs of giving up.

“They didn’t give up, (Edison) didn’t give up either. It was a fun night and you could feel the energy from both sides of the court,” Buckeye Local head coach Abbey Wilson noted after her team won its second match of the season.

Buckeye started strong, behind some solid hitting by senior Jenna DelVecchio, taking the early 25-17 lead.

The Panthers duo of Karlie Lander and Samantha Westfall were setting DelVecchio up on the outside, and Buckeye’s leading attacker was more than capable of hammering the ball home.

A shift started in the second set, however.

The Wildcats started experiencing some success on the block. Whether it was the pairing of Sophia Henderson and Aliya Glover up front, or Mimi Ault or even Briella Guntrum, DelVecchio’s hitting alleys started seeing a lot of hands finding their way to blocking or redirecting her shots.

The same could be said for middle hitter Brooke Kovalski. She too, faced a second set of hands leaping any time she was set up for an attack.

This lasted well past the midway point of the match before both DelVecchio and Kovalski started altering their attack approach, opting for quick tips or drop shots.

It wasn’t until the final set when DelVecchio started ripping kill shots again as she finished with a game-high 16 kills.

“We talked about playing smart, and they did that,” Wilson said. “They tried to go around, especially after they added a second (blocker) to Brooke in the middle.

“It was nice to see them use their brains rather than just pound the ball.”

Edison easily could have folded after the second set.

The team’s upperclassmen consist of senior Sophie Henderson and Graclynn Dray. The rest of the varsity roster is sophomores and freshmn.

So after going up 23-18 in the second, only to watch primarily attack errors allow Buckeye to come back to win 25-23, the hosts could have hung their heads and quit.

That was not the case, however.

Henderson led the way with 16 assists and a few blocks, setting up a trio of attackers, led by freshman Aliya Glover.

Glover played well beyond her years, digging serves and attacks, blocking shots, and leading her team with 10 kills and four aces.

Whenever Edison needed a big play, it was Glover who delivered.

Dray was close behind, with nine kills, while sophomore Mimi Ault totaled four and freshman Dara Collopy added three.

Fellow freshman Briella Guntrum also totaled four kills, a number which likely would have been higher but she had to sit out for a spell after a minor injury when she collided with a teammate going for a dig.

Edison’s spirited play saw the Wildcats take sets three and four, setting up the deciding final race to 15.

“I told them this is the time we needed to get together, play as a team, and not give up,” Wilson said. “We’ve had a hard time finishing, and it took us five today, but we pulled it together and didn’t give up.

“I told them not to focus on 15 points, rather be the first to five and the first to 10 and we did that.”