Nothing easy is ever worth doing.
After going up two sets to zero on defending state champion Herbert Hoover, Shady Spring had to weather a relentless comeback by the Huskies that forced a decisive fifth set — nothing new between these two.
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In that grueling pursuit of 15, the Tigers put the events of the previous two sets behind them and won 15-12 to capture the Class AAA state championship Thursday at the Charleston Coliseum.
The Tigers won their first state championship since 2020 and first for second-year head coach Trina Olson.
It wasn’t easy, as much as they tried to make it appear early.
The first part of the opening set looked like a feeling-out process. Shady (42-10-4) began to distance itself slightly, going up 12-9 as the Huskies called timeout.
That did nothing to slow the Tigers’ momentum. They twice went up by five, including 20-15. The Huskies got to within three, but Shady scored the next five points to close the set with a 25-17 win.
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The Tigers had all the momentum and jumped to a 15-8 lead in the second set. But that’s when the Huskies started to make their move. They won 11 of the next 14 points to take their first lead of the set at 19-18.
Somehow, the Tigers held them off and eventually won 25-22 for a commanding 2-0 lead, one set from the championship.
Senior hitter Allie Fragile was as good as advertised for the Tigers during the two-set run. And she had help from the likes of Callie Olson, Brooklyn Green and Bryanna Shrewsberry.
Just like that, however, the Huskies (45-5-1) made a statement.
They scored the first five points of the third set and went ahead 8-2, coercing Shady to call a timeout. But the Huskies continued to bring the heat, led by Ashlyn Clay and Jessica Crook. They rode their rise to a 25-10 set victory to stay in the match.
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The fourth set was much the same. With Clay and Crook, along with Lauren Pleska dominating play, the Huskies ran off from a 9-8 lead to 16-9. After a Shady point, the Huskies won the next nine to duplicate their 25-10 win and even the match with a championship race to 15 on the horizon.
The Tigers jumped to a 4-1 lead, but the Huskies evened and briefly took the lead before the teams found themselves tied at 11-11.
That’s when the turning point came.
With Pleska — a 94.6 percent server and the team leader with 74 aces — serving for the Huskies, Fragile threw down a kill to make it 12-11 Shady.
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The Tigers’ lead then went to 14-12 for championship point. Fittingly, Fragile went for the kill and her shot was deflected wide right, setting off a big celebration for the Tigers.
This is the third straight year the Tigers and Huskies have played a five-set match in the state tournament. The previous two were won by the Huskies, in the 2024 semifinals and last year’s state title match.
Fragile finished with 15 kills and 13 digs for the Tigers. Green and Olson both had 22 assists, Shrewsberry had 27 digs and Baylee Richmond 16.
Clay and Crook both had 23 kills for the Huskies. Lilli Lancaster had 26 assists and Kylie Hackney 25. Braelyn Adkins finished with 24 digs, while Pleska had 21 to go with four aces.
Fragile, Olson and Shrewsberry were named to the all-tournament team.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
