The fifth ranked Nation Ford Falcons were upset by eighth ranked JL Mann Patriots 3-1 in the second round of the 5A state volleyball playoffs Monday night.
Nation Ford lost 24-26, 25-16, 27-29, 21-25 to JL Mann ending their season with a 25-12-1 record.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Nation Ford head coach Craig Brown. “JL Mann played really well. They came prepared. It was a rough night.”
The match went back and forth most of the four sets, but Nation Ford struggled at times with getting to digs and JL Mann returned the ball well setting up kills that really took the Falcons off their game.
In the opening set, Nation Ford went up 5-2, but then the Patriots rattled off seven consecutive points and it made the Falcons realize they had a challenge on their hands. Nation Ford would tie the match at 19-19 and go up 21-19 scoring four straight points themselves causing JL Mann to regroup with a time out. Both teams traded points and time outs, but the Patriots scored three consecutive points despite a Falcons time out to get a 26-24 first set win.
Nation Ford fought back to win the second set and controlled things right from the start of the set going up 8-3 and making sure the Patriots were nowhere close to rally. The Falcons pushed their lead to 17-6 and then 22-10 before closing the second set out and tying the match at 1-1.
Whatever struggles the Patriots had in the second set, they seemed to work them out before the start of the third set. Both teams traded points and Nation Ford was able to rally to tie JL Mann at one point 9-9 and the Patriots were able to tie the Falcons 19-19. Neither were able to get a leg up on the other one and then after two Nation Ford time outs, the Patriots were able to score four of six points to close out the set 29-27 and take a 2-1 lead.
Nation Ford had their back against the wall in the fourth set and was able to pull out to a 12-8 lead, but couldn’t hold off a five-point rally from JL Mann to take a 13-12 lead. From there, the Patriots were able to achieve a small lead and went up 21-18 where the Falcons struggled to keep pace. That struggle led to them falling 25-21 in the fourth set to get knocked out of the playoffs.
In other playoff volleyball, Fort Mill also fell in the second round to No. 1 ranked Dorman 3-0 to end their season at 18-8 overall.
Golf
The Catawba Ridge girls golf team currently sits in fourth overall on the first day of the 4A state golf tournament with a 348 as a team. May River, playing on their home course at Crescent Pointe Golf Club in Bluffton, shot a 324. Pickens is second with a 345 and Hilton Head is third with a 347. Katherine Mann led the Copperheads with a 77 on day one, followed by an 84 from Eileen Zeoli, an 86 from Kate Gilmore and a 101 from Reagan Lynch.
In the 5A state tournament, Nation Ford’s Vivian Harris shot an 82 and is tied for 25th overall as the sole local representative in that tournament held in Florence at the Country Club of South Carolina.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
