COLUMBIA-A two-set rally by the Lucy Beckham Bengals crushed the 4A state championship hopes of the Nation Ford Falcons girls’ volleyball team.
The Bengals won 3-2 (18-25, 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 7-15) after trailing 2-1 before winning the fourth and fifth sets to take the state title at Dreher High School on Saturday, Nov. 7. Nation Ford finished the season at 30-5.
“Give Lucy Beckham some credit for the pressure they put on us,” said Nation Ford head coach Craig Brown. “They put more pressure on us. We missed some serves. I think we got out of sorts with out passing at the end. In the second and third we passed well and kept them off balance.”
In the fifth set, Lucy Beckham scored five straight after trailing 3-1 to open the final set. The Bengals continued to control the set and doubled the score going up 10-5 before a Nation Ford timeout. The Falcons never were able to gain a footing and would go on to fall in the fifth set.
Nation Ford scored first to open the match, but the Bengals jumped ahead 4-2 before the Falcons tied it at five.
Both teams would trade the lead going up by two points, only to have the other score two in a row to tie it.
Lucy Beckham then went on a run scoring five straight points to go up 16-11 before a Falcons’ timeout. Nation Ford couldn’t gain any traction out of the timeout as the Bengals maintained serve and continued to separate themselves from the Falcons.
Nation Ford scored three points pulling within three, but after a Bengals timeout, they were able to regroup. The Falcons struggled to find holes for kills and played timid after trailing. Lucy Beckham on the other hand was able to find the holes and place shots along the back line to take the opening set.
The second set started much like the first as both teams traded points looking for a slight edge over the other. The Bengals went up 10-8, but the Falcons’ Lila Martin rattled off four consecutive point scoring serves including a couple of aces to give Nation Ford the lead before a Bengals timeout.
The Falcons were more consistent in the second set and played like the team they are known for. Nation Ford was able to serve the ball well and once they got the advantage, they were able to control things more as they went up 19-13 before another Bengals timeout.
However no lead was safe with the Bengals as they scored seven of eight points to tie the set at 20. The Falcons got the breaks they needed for the remainder of the set to tie the match at one set a piece.
Nation Ford started the third set jumping out to a 6-3 lead. They were able to control serve for the most part with the help of Lyla Holbrook and made those serves hard to return cleanly. The Falcons increased their lead to 9-4 before a Lucy Beckham timeout.
Nation Ford started to pull away even more in the set after the timeout as they used their outside hitting to find holes in the Bengals’ defense. Even when tips seemed to be destined to fall, a Falcons player, usually Martin, found a way to get to the ball and keep things alive. Martin continued to come up with saves and kills to keep the Bengals off balance.
Lucy Beckham didn’t shrink away from the challenge and made sure to keep the Falcons on their toes. The Bengals at one point scored three straight points pulling within two of the Falcons before a Nation Ford timeout. The Falcons kept their composure and took the third set to grab a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Nation Ford tried to keep the momentum in their corner to open the fourth set, but the Bengals were ready. Both teams started off trading points, but the Bengals took the early advantage being able to get kills and place shots to where the Falcons were off balance in returns. Lucy Beckham went up 9-4 before a Falcons timeout.
After the timeout, Holbrook started serving for Nation Ford, which allowed them to get back in the match rather quickly. Her serving scored five consecutive points for Nation Ford to tie the set at nine and forced the Bengals to try and regroup with a timeout of their own. Lucy Beckham battled back to tie the set at 13 and then pulled ahead for a 17-14 lead.
Nation Ford stayed close but couldn’t put together the necessary run to rally as the Bengals took the set and tied the match at two sets a piece.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
