Heck of a ride for FHS
Admirals fend off Lions in 5 sets
Against Concord Christian School in Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium, FHS trailed two sets to one, and 20-19 in the win-or-go-home fourth set. But a 6-1 run to the end gave them the set 25-21, and knotted the match at two sets apiece.
They then carried the momentum over to the do-or-die fifth set, winning it 15-9, and the match, three sets to two.
“Oh my gosh, ups and downs, I knew it was gonna be like that,” said FHS coach Andre Alves. “We’re super young; we’re gonna take our lumps. We’re gonna ride it out.”
“It was a great match,” said CCS coach Mandy Richards. “We had tough serving, great defense … we made multiple errors back to back. Super proud of the girls; they showed grit and perseverance.”
Farragut took a one-set lead, 25-17, but only after storming back from a big deficit. Behind runs of six and four straight, the Lady Lions jumped out to a 12-4 lead.
But sophomore libero Hailey Aiken then took over the serve, and the Lady Admirals ran off 15 straight points to completely turn the set around. The teams traded points to the end In the second set, Farragut again fell badly behind, 16-5. A 9-3 Lady Admiral run kept them in it at 19-14. But CCS closed it out by winning six of the final eight points, and the set, 25-16.
For the third time in three sets, FHS dug a deep hole, this time 16-8. The teams then traded points to the end, and the Lady Lions led two sets to one. The third-set score was 25-18.
Lady Admirals’ senior setter Belle Ekeler was asked whether she was worried with her team down by a set.
“To be honest, I knew we were just making a lot of unforced errors. I knew if we cleaned up our hitting, or serving, or passing we’d be fine. It was a little bit of pressure, but nothing we haven’t seen before.”
In the fifth set, the score was tied at six. FHS then won five of the next six points to lead 11-7. The Lady Lions cut it to 11-9, but Farragut then put it away with four straight.
“They are very greedy,” Alves said, referring to his kids’ desire to win. “They don’t quit; they don’t give up. I love that about them. I told them, “‘I’m so proud of you for riding it out and defending our house.’”
“I think it says a lot about our team and our chemistry that we kept going at it,” said Ekeler. “We’re a really young team so we have a lot of kinks to work out.”
