By Nolan Epstein (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Well, that was fun.
It was only fitting that a pair of Top-3 teams in the latest O-Zone power rankings battled it out on Thursday as Strafford (21-1) outlasted Mid-Lakes rival Fair Grove (17-4-1) in a wild one to extend the Lady Indians’ winning streak to 15.
With a boisterous, energetic home crowd fueling them throughout, the Lady Indians were on the verge of just their second loss of the 2017 campaign as Fair Grove had an opportunity to put the match away on four different occasions in the final set – only to see Strafford claw its way back to nab a three-set win by finals of 25-23, 20-25 and 28-26.
“People stepped up and I’m super proud of them,” Strafford head coach Ashley Bough said after the emotional victory. “The kids responded and they didn’t give up. There were multiple opportunities where they could have folded. I’m super proud of them for that.”
Looking to spoil Strafford’s evening, Fair Grove stormed out of the gates by taking a quick 9-3 lead in the opening set. However, Strafford would regain its composure and take seven of the set’s next nine points to close within one to thwart the Lady Eagles’ momentum.
After a virtual back and forth battle the rest of the way, Strafford came up big when it needed to and put the set in the win column, thanks to a finishing kill by senior Madison Bowles.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
“That’s the beauty about the game of volleyball, any team can come back from any amount of points,” said Bough. “I just told them to stay calm and they had to focus on one point at a time. They turned their mentality around and started to play with a little bit of intensity.”
A resilient Fair Grove club showed some perseverance of its own in the second set to create a rubber match that lived up to the hype.
With the final stanza tied at 21, the Lady Eagles rolled off three of the next four points to get within one of sealing a statement victory. But first team all-state senior Chloe Rear, who led the team on the night with 18 kills and 26 assists, made sure the home crowd would not go home unhappy – leading the Lady Indians back from the brink of defeat again and again.
Looking at a 26-25 deficit, Rear would ultimately collect three consecutive kills to end the match.
“Being my senior year and everything, it’s always a big game, but I had a lot of trust in my teammates,” Rear said. “I knew that we were going to get the job done and do whatever we needed to do. I needed to stay composed myself and just stay positive to help my team out that way.”
There was an awful lot to sort out following the heart-pounding battle, but Bough had no trouble appreciating what she and her team just went through.
“This game always means a lot to the kids and it’s always so much fun,” she added. “I dread it as a coach because it is intense, but I also love it because, in the end, we’re two teams of the same size, we’re two teams from the same conference and we have the opportunity to get to battle it out.”
Sentiments were shared by Fair Grove coach Tonya Peck, who will look to have her team rebound when it partakes in the Licking Tournament this weekend.
“To be able to come in here and play in this atmosphere was great,” said Peck. “I knew it was going to be a tough battle and my girls knew it was going to be a tough battle. It always is.”
Junior Alana Findley led the way in kills for Fair Grove with 12, while senior Shyan Proctor tallied a team-high 17 digs.
Strafford will participate in the Lebanon Tournament on Saturday.
