The Lady Indians volleyball team rolled up a 3-2 close win over visiting Rabun Gap on Thursday evening, tying a school record of six straight victories. The six-match win streak marks the sixth time the team has done that, most recently last season.
Fourth-ranked TFS beat rivals Rabun Gap for the second time this season, and are now 12-3 overall on the 2022 campaign. The Lady Indians move to 28-9 in overall sets won-lost.
The night began with a 17-25 loss in the first set, but the Lady Indians knotted the match at a set apiece with a 25-12 second-set win. Rabun Gap again took the edge with a third-set win of 25-19, putting the Lady Eagles on the verge of an upset at TFS. The Lady Indians rallied for a tight 25-22 fourth set to tie up the match. TFS then secured the win with a 15-10 fifth and final set.
“Very intense match,” states coach Matt Heyl. “Rabun Gap was much improved and they came out to play. It was tough figuring out how to hit by their big blockers. We struggled passing for most of the night. But we were able to pass when it counted. In the fourth set near the end of the game, Elsa Sanchez served some great clutch serves to get the lead an finally clinch that fourth set. In the fifth set, we passed well and Sarah Jennings was able to place the ball into the corners and get some kills for us. We showed up and played aggressively in that fifth set and got out to an early lead and it was just too much for Rabun Gap to come back.”
TFS will next take on multiple opponents this weekend at the Rocky Top Tourney in Tennessee, with games scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The five-set match was the first for TFS since September 14 of last season against Highlands, which was a win. The Lady Indians have had only three five-set matches in Matt Heyl’s time over the program, and all have been wins.
MATCH SCORES:
Lady Indians W 3-2 vs Rabun Gap: 17-25, 25-12, 19-25, 25-22, 15-10
