***Update - 5th/6th grade girls clinch playoff spot
The 5th/6th grade girls were perhaps a foot away from a tragic season.
In a must win game and their playoff lives at stake, they were down 14-13 on serve receive against the other team's best server. That same server had previously served six straight balls over for points in the first set. She tossed the ball in the air and hit it over hand, and the ball just hit into the top of the netting and the girls still had hope.
Their best player Friday night Justina stepped to the line and served one over to give the girls a one point lead at 15-14. Her next serve went over, and when the other team hit it into the net, one of the most exciting St. Mary's volleyball games concluded with an incredible season saving 26-28, 25-21, 16-14 win.
If St. Peter can beat St. Philip Saturday morning, the 5th/6th grade girls (3-5) will head to the playoffs. But if St. Philip's wins, their season likely comes to an end.
In a season where every loss has come in three sets, the girls almost wrote the perfect ending to a story that nobody wanted to read.
Down 11-5 in the third, the girls had to make up six points in order to even make a wish at 11-11. Annie brought them close and rallied four points trimming the lead to 11-10 before faulting with a chance to tie.
The teams traded points until Justina ultimately won the game.
They were in a similar situation midway through the second set as they trailed 17-12. after breaking serve, Samantha was on serve and she gave the girls a brief 18-17 lead.
By far the girls played their most complete game of the season and were rewarded with their most satisfying win to date. Isabella and Annie were both pretty solid on their serve receive, but nothing compared to Justina who had the volleyball game of her life.
She was everywhere on the court and broke several serves throughout the course of the match. Her serves were also strong and really helped the girls seize momentum in the last two sets. It seemed like the entire team knew that when Justina was serving, the girls were going to pick up a point.
Should the girls reach the post-season, it's very likely their opponent will be the same team they beat Friday night.
At so many points in the game, the girls could've folded, but they didn't. They were able to stay focused and battled on every point. The girls wanted it and were finally able to get over the hump.
And if given the chance, they'll need to do it again.
No comments:
Post a Comment