You can’t keep a good team down.
The Holy Trinity Academy Knights rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win three sets in a row to down the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir Spartans in a first-place showdown in Foothills Athletic Council senior girls volleyball action.
“We were pretty flat those first two sets,” said Knights co-coach Paul Morris of the match at STS on Oct. 7. “In the third set we came out with energy and the girls on the bench supplied us more energy.”
The Knights dropped the first two sets 22-25, 17-25 respectively, before bouncing back to win the final three sets 25-19, 25-19, 15-12.
“We had so much to lose in that third set and we all came together and that momentum just carried us on into the fourth and fifth,” said the Knights’ hard-hitting Leah Lazic.
The final set saw players diving to the floor to keep thrilling rallies going. The Knights won the last point when there were several saves from both teams — the players digging like a dog hiding a bone. The point, and match, finally ended when Lazic spiked one home.
Spartans coach Andrea Weber said it was a tenacious Knights squad that took advantage of a Spartan letdown after going up 2-0.
“We struggled with passing in the third set and I think HTA got more aggressive as the night went on,” Weber said. “Where we passed really well in the two first sets we didn’t in the third set and didn’t run our offence as well… We just weren’t ready for the caliber of play HTA brought after the second set.”
Although both squads showed solid defence, the Knights were just a notch better on this night.
“We didn’t pick up as many (balls) as HTA did right behind our block,” Weber said. “They are a super-defending team. HTA didn’t let the ball hit the ground.”
That Knights version of Hot Potato was never more apparent than on their final point in the 25-19 win in Set 4.
Libero Allora Mason dug out a Spartan shot off the block, which pinballed to Maria Chtchadova, who some how got the ball up high enough for Julia Simard to bump it over — while her back was facing the net.
They would win the point a rally later when middle Annie Hielema’s spiked to the middle of the court.
Weber was pleased of the Spartans’ poise on the court in the losing effort to HTA. The Spartans rallied from 14-8 before losing the final set.
“I felt we finished strong with really good saves and digs on the last points,” Weber said. “We had strong serving at the back, serving aggressively and that’s what we want.”
Spartan Savita McRae rattled off five consecutive bullets before Lazic put the game away.
Meanwhile, the Knights remain undefeated and went into the STS match with a gold-medal performance at Canmore on Oct. 3.
It’s been a team effort.
“The big strength of this team is we are deep 1 trough 12,” Morris said. “If one girl is off, there is another one who can get the job done.”
The victory over STS put the Knights in first-place in the FAC with a 4-0 record. The Spartans dropped to 4-1. The Foothills Falcons are 3-1 after beating the Oilfields Drillers 3-0 on Oct. 7 in Black Diamond.
The Knights will host the Highwood Mustangs on Oct. 14, while the Falcons will take on the Notre Dame Timberwolves at the Comp, both games are at 7 p.m.
The Knights and the Falcons will meet Oct. 21 at HTA at 5:30 p.m.
For more FAC information got to www.fac.teampages.com
