The Lady Indians have been in this position before three previous times, but until Saturday, had yet to get past the Sweet 16. It took a comeback in the final set to secure a 3-1 win, as #4-ranked Tallulah Falls beat #6 Galloway for the school’s first-ever Elite 8 berth.
The first couple of sets went in favor of Tallulah Falls. The opening set was a 25-13 win, as the Lady Indians came out sharp. After Galloway took the first three points, Sarah Jennings recorded a couple of kills, including one off an assist by Kitty Rodenas that tied the single-season assist record. A Jennings ace moments later tied the set at four apiece, and was back and forth until TFS took a 8-7 lead. Before long, Tallulah Falls held a sizeable 15-9 lead, with a pair of Jennings kills forcing a Galloway timeout. Ashlyn Yaskiewicz had back-to-back aces, and an Addy McCoy kill finished off the set to give TFS a 1-0 quick lead.
Galloway got better as the match went on, fighting to a 25-19 final in the second set that the Lady Indians had to fight for until the last point. Jennings had three quick kills to give TFS a lead, and the match was tied once again at 4-4. A monster spike by Sofia Rueda gave Tallulah the 5-4 lead, and a big spike by McCoy highlighted a run that had the home team up 12-5. That represented the biggest lead of the set, and forced a Galloway timeout. Out of that timeout, the visitors scored four straight to pull back and force Tallulah Falls to call time. Galloway made it a 12-11 Lady Indians lead after a 6-0 run. Tallulah created some space with a Jennings spike, a dump-in kill by Rodenas, and a series of incredible digs by several including Kate Gary and Julianne Shirley. Elsa Sanchez polished off the set with a kill and an ace, as the Lady Indians held a very comfortable 2-0 set lead.
Galloway would no go quietly, and won the third set 25-20. Though Tallulah Falls held an initial 5-1 lead, something switched for Galloway, who played clean ball the rest of the way. Highlighting the quick TFS start was an ace by Rodenas near the back line and a hard spike kill by Jennings. The visitors took off on a run, and TFS trailed the rest of the set, going down by as many as seven points and pulling within four only a couple of times late.
Tallulah Falls won a thrilling fourth set 25-19. The Lady Indians had to storm back late, as they trailed by four points quickly. Jennings had multiple kills and back-to-back aces by McCoy got the set within 11-12, making one of a couple times TFS got within a single point. Finally, Tallulah Falls broke through, as Rueda had a kill and ace, and McCoy tied it both at 17 and 18 with kills of her own. The Lady Indians took a 19-18 lead and never gave it back, forcing a pair of quick timeouts for Galloway to regroup. McCoy and Jennings down the stretch came up clutch, as McCoy had a pair of aces from then, including the game-sealing final point.
Jennings had unofficially 18 kills and McCoy 12, while Sanchez had nine and Rueda eight. Rueda led with four aces, as McCoy and Yaskiewicz had three apiece, and Sanchez two aces.
The historic season continues for the Lady Indians, who are now 32-11, posting a new single-season win record, and reaching the first-ever quarterfinal Elite 8 round. The total sets won stands now at 75, a school record, and the win over ranked Galloway is the sixth win this year over a state-ranked opponent. Rodenas eclipsed the single-season assist record in the win, and Jennings set the single-season kills record, as she came in needing just 11 to tie the mark.
MATCH SCORES:
#4 Lady Indians W 3-1 vs #6 Galloway: 25-13, 25-19, 20-25, 25-19
