Lady Falcons rally for 5-set win against Lady Scots
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Southmoreland’s Amarah McCutcheon (10) goes for the block on a ball hit by Brownsville’s Skyler Gates in the second set of Monday’s Section 3-AA match at Brownsville.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Brownsville’s MacKenzie Wade (11) hits around the block of Southmoreland’s Taylor Doppelheuer during the third set of Monday’s Section 3-AA match at Brownsville.
Southmoreland's Amarah McCutcheon receives a serve in the third set of Monday's Section 3-AA match at Brownsville.
HILLER — Spurred on by the boisterous home crowd, the Brownsville girls rallied from two sets down Monday night for a 3-2 home victory against Southmoreland in a Section 3-AA match.
The Lady Falcons remain unbeaten, improving to 11-0 in the section. The Lady Scots go to 8-3 in section play.
Southmoreland led 2-0 in the fifth set and tied the match at 3-3, but the Lady Falcons, behind the play of Skyler Gates in the middle, steadily pulled away for a 15-7 victory.
Gates was a presence throughout the match with 12 kills, five blocks and three digs.
“At the end of the day, it’s a ‘want to,'” said Southmoreland coach Dan Boring. “At moments, we lose our competitive advantage.
“We knew it would be a battle.”
Southmoreland was poised to run the table after winning the first two sets, 25-19, 25-16, and led in the third set, 17-14. The Lady Scots let the advantage fritter away as Brownsville stayed alive with a 25-20 win.
“We were in this predicament before,” said Brownsville coach Cam Coffey.
The Lady Falcons ran out to leads of 5-1 and 10-6 in the fourth set. Brownsville maintained the same cushion as the lead grew to 14-9, but Southmoreland fought back to tie the set at 17.
Boring felt his squad might’ve regained the edge when they battled back to tie the fourth set.
“When we tied up the fourth set,” Boring said of turning things around.
The Lady Scots trailed 22-19 and Brownsville ran out the final three points to tie the match with a 25-19 win.
As Brownsville rallied back, the small, but vocal, crowd raised its noise level, adding fuel to the Lady Falcons’ momentum.
“The momentum changed, the crowd upped a little bit,” said Coffey.
Coffey said the difference was Brownsville finding its game and not allowing Southmoreland to dictate the way the match was to be played.
“We have to focus on that pass to run our offense,” explained Coffey. “We knew they pushed the ball a lot and tip a lot. That’s not us.
“We get into a habit, we play like the other team.”
Skye Durst was able to set Brownsville’s middle and outside hitters, finishing with 30 assists. She also had 36 digs.
Southmoreland has five matches remaining with teams chasing the Lady Scots for a playoff berth.
“Every game matters. We have Bentworth, Yough, Waynesburg Central, Washington and McGuffey left,” said Boring. “We need to beat Bentworth (Tuesday night). It’s crucial.”
Coffey understands the other teams in the section will be looking to upend his squad in the final two weeks.
“We know we have a target on our back. We have to keep cool, calm and collected. Everyone is coming for us,” said Coffey.
The Lady Falcons’ Ciara Williams had a double-double with 30 assists and 36 digs. Cassidee Settles (29 digs), Kami Franks (35 digs), and Caylee Balabon (22 digs) also had strong defensive efforts in the win.
Kenzie Wade (3 kills, 6 digs) and Ava Clark (3 kills, 3 digs, 2 aces) also contributed to the victory.