Rams rally to defeat Hawks

SU VALLEY -- The small gymnasium at Susitna Valley High School provided great atmosphere for a tremendous small-school volleyball match between the Rams and the Houston Lady Hawks Tuesday.

After dropping the first game 12-15, the Rams rallied to win the next three games 16-14, 15-12, and 15-6 to take the best-of-five-game match.

"The girls played with a little box of intensity in the first game," said Su Valley coach Chad Valentine. "After the first game, I told them to use the big box of intensity."

The first three games displayed both teams' ability to come back from early deficits and battle it out until the last point is scored.

Su Valley jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first game, only to have Houston slowly edge back into the game.

With Houston serving down 6-3, a good rally ensued, with both teams unwilling to give up the fight. Su Valley's Natasha Lester made a great volley-saving dig by just getting under a hard shot to bring the ball up for teammates to make a return. Houston prevailed when Christine Loeffler dumped the ball into an open spot on the Rams' court.

Su Valley continued to lead the game with Houston keeping the score close. Houston broke Su Valley's serve with the Rams leading 12-11, and took control of the game to win 15-12 with solid serving and hard returns.

Houston started the second game by taking a commanding 9-0 lead. Su Valley regrouped and started a barrage of service points that seemed to take the Houston back court players off balance. The service, coupled with solid returns, helped the Rams climb back into the game and take the lead 10-9.

From that point, a battle began, with neither team able to take command of the game. Each team could score only once before being stopped. The teams tied at 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14. With the game tied 14-14, Su Valley broke through to score two points for the win, 16-14.

Game three started with the Rams opening a 6-1 lead, only to see the Lady Hawks creep back in by regrouping and cutting down earlier mistakes. The Rams continued to score when good defensive digs kept the volley going to set up solid returns.

Houston kept the score close with good hustle of its own to keep the ball in play. The Lady Hawks tied the game at 12-12, only to see the Rams rally with three quick points to put the game away, 15-12.

With the momentum now shifted to Su Valley's side to begin game four, the Rams continued applying pressure by constantly returning everything Houston threw at them.

The Rams sped out to a 7-3 lead and never looked back, taking game four 15-6 to win the match.

"This win was sweeter for us," said Valentine. "We dropped our first match with Houston earlier in the year, then split with them at the West Spiketacular."

Alexa FitzGerald finished the match with 10 kills and four blocks. Lester added eight kills while Melissa McNulty contributed 21 assists.