Lady Flyers Bid to Qualify for Nationals Ends With Tie-Breaker Loss

The quest by the Sandhills volleyball team to qualify for the NJCAA Division III National Championships ended with a 3-2 loss to Northampton CC in Bethlehem, Pa. Saturday afternoon. 

The scores of the closely contested sets were 20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 22-25 and 18-16. The Lady Flyers trailed 14-12 in the tiebreaker set before scoring the next three points to come within a single point of closing out the match.

With the score tied at 16-16, the Spartans took the next two points and earned the right to represent District H in Rochester, Minn. on November 10 and 11.

After dropping the first set, the Flyers put themselves in the driver's seat by winning the next two. The fourth set was tied at 21-21 before the home team scored four of the next five points to send the match to the 15-point tiebreaker.

With the Flyers trailing 13-10, two kills in a row by Brooke Sayers drew them closer. It was 14-12 when the Spartans hit one ball into the net, and then hit the ball four times to even the score at 14-14.

With Erica Groff serving, the Spartans hit another ball into the net to put the Flyers within a point of advancing. The excruciating drama continued with the Spartans winning the next two points to take a 16-15 lead.

A kill by the Flyers' Chelsea Green retied it for the final time at 16-16 before the Spartans closed it out with a kill and a service ace. 

Sayers and Paige Garner led the Flyers in kills with 14 and 10 respectively. Setter Abby Wallace was credited with 30 assists. The leaders in digs were Groff with 24 and Green with 18.

Coach Alicia Riggan's squad finished a season that included Region X regular-season and tournament titles with a record of 27-6.  Northampton, whose record includes a loss to the Flyers back in early September, improved to 25-4.

C. Bergmann