NEW PHILADELPHIA — From competing on the court to competing in the stands, there was no shortage of energy Thursday night.
The first meeting of 2026 between rivals Dover and New Philadelphia was filled with cheers, boos and plenty of momentum swings as both student sections packed the stands and did everything they could to will their team to victory.
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After falling behind 2-1, including a 25-8 loss in the third set, the Crimson Tornadoes responded.
Dover rallied to win the final two sets, 25-16 and 15-10, defeating New Philadelphia 3-2 and earning bragging rights until the teams meet again Oct. 13.
“This was a really fun environment to be a part of,” Dover head coach Jenna Franks said. “It hasn’t been the best week for our community and these girls wanted this more than anything today.”
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With the victory, the Crimson Tornadoes improved to 5-4 overall and 5-1 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. The Quakers fell to 6-7 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
Franks’ message to her team before the match was simple: Be you.
“Lately it’s been a lot of preaching confidence to the girls,” she said. “Making sure they know I don’t expect them to play a perfect game, but if we do what we need to do we’re going to be alright.”
On the other side, New Philadelphia head coach Carla Pry has been part of the rivalry for 33 years, and she said the atmosphere never gets old.
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“New Phila and Dover is great no matter what sport is being played,” Pry said. “You can feel the energy from both sides of the crowds throughout pregame and once the whistle is blown.”
After dropping the opening set 25-22, New Philadelphia responded by winning back-to-back sets, 25-21 and 25-8, to take control of the match.
But despite the dominant third set, Pry noticed something different about the energy heading into the fourth.
“It’s something more people on the team need to have,” she said. “They (Dover) lost 25-8 and they came out more excited than we were. Energy can be a big problem for any team.”
Keeping her players from making the rivalry bigger than any other match can be difficult when both communities take it so seriously.
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“Coming into the game we practice like we always practice,” Pry said. “We are always trying to take one game at a time, but it’s hard when everyone wants to win this game.”
For Dover, the lopsided third set became a test of how the team would respond.
Franks knew coming back wouldn’t be easy, but even as the set slipped away, she saw her team continue to compete.
“We needed to build energy, and I think we were able to shift some of the momentum,” she said. “We knew we could go on a run, and we just needed to limit the runs we allowed to happen.”
The Crimson Tornadoes did exactly that.
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Instead of allowing the 25-8 loss to carry into the fourth set, Dover regained momentum and forced a decisive fifth before completing the comeback.
For a team that has experienced its share of ups and downs early in the season, Franks believes a rivalry comeback could become something more.
“This season has been very teeter totter for us,” she said. “This has a chance to be a step forward, and a comeback win can get us fired up for the rest of the season.”
Jshondel@usatodayco.com; X: @JacoBShondeL
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Dover volleyball storms back to beat New Philadelphia in five sets
