Getting off the mat, the South Whidbey High School volleyball team rose up to knock out a stunned visiting Cedar Park Christian-Bothell 3-2 Tuesday, Oct. 2.
The Falcons dropped the first two games and then swept the final three to complete the comeback.
South Whidbey was unsteady and out of synch in the beginning, losing the opening set 25-17.
In the second, the Falcons seemed to get in rhythm and were on the verge of tying the match, leading 24-20. The Eagles, however, roared back to claim the game 26-24.
The beginning of the third set was the turning point of the match, according to coach Mandy Jones, as her club needed to fight back or pack it in. The Falcons came out swinging.
The late-game meltdown of the previous set didn’t phase South Whidbey, which displayed its mettle by romping to a 25-11 win in game three.
The fourth set was tight. The Falcons never trailed but never led by more than three until the end. The Eagles tied the set several times, including 19-19. From there, a kill and block by Emma Hodson and a tip and ace by Emma Leggett helped South Whidbey go on a 6-2 run to claim the the game.
Cedar Park Christian went up 2-0 in the decisive final set, but the Falcons went on a 5-2 run to take the lead for good. A kill by Leggett, an ace from Chloe Johnson and three Eagle hitting errors fueled the spurt.
The Falcons led by only one, 9-8, before finishing in a flurry on a tip and three kills from Leggett, who blistered the Eagles with an emphatic spike to score match point.
“It is nice to get Emma (Leggett) back,” coach Mandy Jones said; the hard-hitting senior missed some time with an injury.
Leggett led the Falcons with 20 kills and 12 digs. Hodson added nine kills and three blocks.
Megan Leonard, who played “especially good tonight,” according to Jones, chipped in with nine kills and 10 digs.
Johnson fired nine aces and handed out 47 assists, and Angelina Wilson recorded 26 digs.
The comeback came as the Falcons cleaned up their play and improved “a little bit” in every facet of the game, Jones said.
“Our serving was especially good,” she added, noting there was better accuracy as the night went on.
The win was the Falcons’ (1-2, 4-3) first in conference play and broke a three-match losing streak.
South Whidbey plays a non-league match at Overlake at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3.
Megan Leonard (16) drives a hit off the block of Cedar Park Christian’s Marci Drews (13). (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Alyssa Ludtke serves in South Whidbey’s win over Cedar Park Christian Tuesday. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
