Saturday’s state quarterfinal match between Pleasant Hill and Rogersville nearly played out like a Disney movie.
The Lady Wildcats had Class 3’s top ranked team on the ropes, leading the Chicks 23-22 in the third set.
Pleasant Hill, however, had other plans in mind, winning four of the next five points to top Rogersville, sending the Chicks to the Final Four for the second time in as many years.
The first saw Pleasant Hill jump on the Cats early, however Rogersville would rally before falling 28-26, setting the tone for what would be a tightly contested match throughout.
Rogersville returned the favor in the second set, jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead en route to a 25-21 win.
Both teams saved their best for the third and pivotal set, neither team would take more than a two point lead during the final stanza.
Rogersville’s 12-10 quickly turned into a 14-10 defecit when Coach Tammy Miller asked for a timeout to help compose her team.
The Lady Wildcats responded by take four of the next five points to regain the lead at 15-14.
Pleasant Hill, as they had all evening, answer every Rogersville spurt with a run of their own, taking the 22-20 lead on the strength of thundering spikes by sophomore Kai Wesemann.
Rogersville would again answer back, taking a 23-22 lead, before eventually falling 26-24.
After a 10-8 start, Rogersville ends the season 28-10-1 on the strength of a 14 game winning streak to end the regular season. The Lady Wildcats also bounced back from last year’s district championship loss to Mountain Grove, which snapped three consecutive Final Four appearances for Coach Miller’s bunch.
Despite losing a senior class that has won 113 games over the past four years, the cupboard isn’t bare in Rogersville. The Cats bring back talented sophomores Claire Hutchinson and Breanna Freeman, among others, in 2013.
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