CORDOVA – Momentum built by Good Hope early in the 4A, Area 10 volleyball semifinal with Dora didn't last through the match Tuesday afternoon.
Dora overcame a 23-17 deficit in the second set to win 27-25 and went on to take the next two games and end the Lady Raiders' first season under Samantha Bryson on the campus of Cordova High School.
Before the match, Bryson analyzed the Lady Raiders' chances of winning the semifinal as very good since they had split with Dora during the regular season. But something that concerned her appeared once again in the team’s ability not to finish the process.
Leads were lost in the second set and the fourth set, as Good Hope had moments of breakdown executing their game plan.
For much of the afternoon, Bryson’s Lady Raiders played well and showed Dora they came to Walker County with intentions of getting further into the 4A postseason after today.
In the first set, the Lady Raiders took the lead at 12-7 on a serve by Sadie Abbott, only to see the Lady Bulldogs fight back. Good Hope got behind 24-23 when they rallied on a kill by Abby Burnette that tied the score. A service point from Leyton Seal with a kill by Abbott sent them back in the lead and Abbott's serve along with a kill from Burnette closed out the opening set, 26-24.
Burnette played some of her best volleyball of the season, getting four kills in the first set with three coming by Sadie Fendley and two by Seal. Abbott had six service points with Skylar Tucker converting three and Ally Knight providing one and Makenna Thompson two.
What keyed Good Hope to a lead in the second game was a pair of service points from Tucker, and it was 19-12. Knight got the final point for Good Hope in the set and made the score 23-18 when Dora used a strong attack from the frontline and took advantage of a net foul, a lift and a misplayed ball by the Raiders to finish the comeback triumph.
Down 6-0 in the third set, the Lady Raiders again charged back and moved within a point at 8-7 on a block by Abbott at the net off a serve from Thompson.
However, Dora was able to regroup with the Lady Raiders again going through a sequence of miscues and the advantage for the Lady Bulldogs was pushed to 21-14.
Good Hope hung around, but Dora got the third set by the final of 25-19.
Determined to send the match into a tiebreaker, the Lady Raiders stormed to the lead and were up 17-11, the largest spread of the set.
Again, unable to finish it out, the Lady Raiders fell 25-22 and the bid to make it to the Round of 16 in the North Super Regional was stopped short by the semifinal loss in area tournament play.
The Lady Raiders said goodbye to Burnette, Abbott, Thompson, Emma Pugh and Kristian McCroy, who are seniors.
Bryson will have a very strong nucleus in 2017 with a healthy Kate Kent, who missed most of 2016 to a foot injury, Tucker, Chrissi Smith, Seal and Knight to lead them plus some good hard working players who will be pulled up from the junior varsity.
Recap from Monday area tournaments:
Addison – Lady Bulldogs won the 1A, Area 12 title, sweeping Meek 3-0 and will play in the North Super Regional Thursday at 9 a.m. at the Von Braun Center against Athens Bible.
Cold Springs – Lady Eagles claimed the runner-up berth from Altamont in 2A, Area 10 play. Cold Springs is in Huntsville with a 9 a.m. assignment Friday against Winston County.
Holly Pond – Lady Broncos pulled out the 3A, Area 10 title in a grueling five games over Susan Moore, winning three games to two. Lady Broncos play in the Round of 16 vs. Colbert Heights at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the VBC.
The teams have to win the first round to move on to the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals and finals. The top four teams from the region will head to Birmingham next week for the AHSAA finals, to be played at the Crossplex.
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