Baylor Stays Alive At State Volleyball
Lady Raiders Have To Endure Two Five-Set Matches
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Chances are good that Baylor coach Sarah Lail and her Lady Red Raider volleyball team all slept like babies Tuesday night following the opening day of the Division II-AA state tournament being played at Middle Tennessee Christian School.
After all, the Lady Red Raiders played two five-set matches on the opening day, losing to Lipscomb Academy in the first one before battling back to eliminate Father Ryan in the second one.
Baylor won the first set against Lipscomb by a 25-19 score before losing the next two by scores of 25-11 and 25-21. The Lady Red Raiders then evened the score briefly with a 25-21 win in set before before dropping the fifth by a 15-10 difference.
Baylor had to watch two matches in between before taking the floor again in their battle with the Purple Irish, but the Lady Red Raiders were more than up for the challenge as they won by scores of 25-18, 23-25, 25-15, 15-25 and 15-11.
"That was a tough loss," Baylor's Lail said after the first match.
"They were able to make some key adjustments after that first set, but we didn't adjust as much as we needed to. I'm proud of our effort in that fourth set and it's anyone's game when you get to the fifth.
"It's all about momentum in volleyball and a game of errors. I know we can do better, but that's just part of the game. But I'm always proud of the way we play," she nodded.
Lail was a bit more relaxed and certainly a whole lot happier after winning the second match of the day.
"Father Ryan's defense was unbelievable as we had some really long rallies," she said by phone following the second match.
"Bailey Shahan was unstoppable and was definitely our MVP in that match. We knew we were going to score when she got to the front row as she really put the ball down.
"It's a tough situation when your back is against the wall, but we had a long talk between matches and we all decided that we didn't want our season to end tonight. We lost two matches on the first day last year and we surely didn't want a repeat performance," Lail added.
Shahan finished the second match with 14 kills and seven blocks after collecting 10 kills and two blocks in the first one.
Emma Mulvaney had 16 kills and 14 digs in the second match to follow a double-double in the first that included 12 digs and 11 kills.
Sydney Sharpe continues to be great with 11 kills, 17 digs and 39 assists in the second match after having 37 assists, 10 digs and eight kills in the first one.
Addi Kegerreis had 16 kills in the first match and 11 in the second while Rory Oleksik combined for 54 digs and Jessy Blevins 23.
Baylor now awaits the loser of Briarcrest and Lipscomb at 2:30 Wednesday with the winner advancing to Thursday's championship final.
BAYLOR STATS VS. LIPSCOMB:
Brenna Bagley – 14 digs, 4 kills
Jessy Blevins – 10 digs
Addi Kegerreis – 16 kills, 4 digs
Nina Lail – 2 aces, 2 digs
Emma Mulvaney – 12 digs, 11 kills, 1 ace
Rory Oleksik – 24 digs
Bailey Shahan – 10 kills, 2 blocks
Sydney Sharpe – 37 assists, 10 digs, 8 kills
Kaiulani Sherrow – 9 blocks.
BAYLOR STATS VS. FATHER RYAN:
Brenna Bagley – 2 kills, 5 digs, 3 assists, 1 ace
Jessy Blevins – 13 digs
Addi Kegerreis – 11 kills, 1 block, 3 digs
Nina Lail – 1 dig
Emma Mulvaney – 16 kills, 14 digs, 1 ace
Rory Oleksik – 30 digs, 1 assist, 1 ace
Bailey Shahan – 14 kills, 7 blocks
Sydney Sharpe – 11 kills, 2 blocks, 17 digs, 39 assists, 2 aces
Kaiulani Sherrow – 6 kills, 2 blocks, 1 dig.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)
Baylor Stays Alive At State Volleyball - Chattanoogan.com
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