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 In the first set Metamora scratched their way back from behind to
tie Lincoln at 24-24. A kill by Metamora and a ball hit in the net
by Lincoln gave the Redbirds the 26-24 edge in the first set.
The Lady Railers came back focused in the second set and the score
bounced back and forth all the way until a monster block by Grace
Bossingham and Autumn Hoffert gave Lincoln the 18-16 lead and caused
the packed gym to erupt. The momentum would swing Lincoln's way with
Brook Soebbing serving the Lady Railers all the way to a 21-16 lead.
Soebbing had suffered a terrible ankle injury Saturday at the
tournament in Mount Pulaski and was not in the starting lineup until
one hour before game time. She showed no signs of playing in pain
with 9 service points, 4 kills, 4 aces and 2 blocks.
Lincoln would take the second set 25-22. Lincoln jumped out to a 7-3
lead in the third set with Kaylyn Hoffert serving bullets at the
Redbirds. A kill by Brooklyn Elsas put Lincoln up 8-5. Metamora, led
by Gil Urycki and Maddie Stott, fought their way back to take a 9-8
lead over Lincoln. Hoffert, who led Lincoln with 18 kills and 3
blocks, took over at this point and with a tip and a couple kills
she put her team back on top 13-12.
This next stretch of the game saw Lincoln dig themselves into a
pretty big hole, as Metamora took a commanding 18-13 lead. But as
goes the game of volleyball, any team can have a string of errors
and that's exactly what happened to Metamora next. Lincoln took
advantage of their errors and a two point deficit, 16-18, was the
result. Lincoln, however, would make a couple serving errors and
still find themselves down by two, 18-20, until Soebbing stepped to
the serving line again. She is perhaps the most consistent server on
the team in a pressure situation and on this night she was lights
out. As Soebbing helped knot the score at 20-20, Metamora called a
timeout while Railer Nation went wild. Metamora's Urycki would hush
the Lincoln crowd though as she practically destroyed the ball with
a monster kill that gave the Redbirds a 22-21 lead. A missed serve
by Hoffert extended the Metamora lead to 23-21. But the Lady Railers,
shovels in hand, kept digging themselves out and an ace by Kaelyn
Froebe tied the score at 23-23. If your heart isn't racing by now,
there is something wrong with you. Once again Metamora took a one
point lead, 24-23, but it was Hoffert on the kill to tie it up,
24-24. The referees called a lift by Metamora next and Lincoln was
out on top 25-24. A serving error by Lincoln cost them a point
though and again it was a tie game, 25-25. With hearts pounding,
Lincoln jumped out to a 26-25 lead on a kill by Hoffert. This one
was so close folks and Metamora tied the score yet again, 26-26. Now
comes the heartbreaker. As Soebbing hit the ball from the middle
position the ball went flying out of bounds towards the student
section and then on the next play the Lady Railers were trying their
best to save the ball out of the net and they just couldn't get it
up cleanly and the referee called yet another lift. This lift would
be the dagger in the hearts of the Lady Railers and it would give
Metamora the 28-26 edge and the coveted 3A regional championship.
[to top of second column] |
This one is gonna make the Lady Railers' hearts hurt for a long time
to come. Their spectacular season comes to an end with 28 wins and 9
losses under Coach Dawn Crawford. Following the game Crawford spoke
to the media and said, "We fought to the end and we fought as well
as we could. I kinda thought we'd have a regional championship but
unfortunately we didn't."
Finally, senior Hannah Cameron missed the final game of the season
due to a back injury and illness and she was missed by her team.
"Not just talent-wise, you know not just her hits, her serves are
everything, but it's just the presence of another senior on the
court and such big leadership out of her," said Crawford. "She's
pretty vocal on the court. She's a ton."
Crawford will lose seven seniors to graduation and she had nothing
but praise for those girls as they emerged from the locker room,
still teary-eyed after the heartbreaking loss. "Those seven seniors
are all great kids. I had a couple girls who rode the pine all year
long and they still fought 'til the end. They gave it 100 percent in
practice."
Reflecting on her own playing days as a standout first at Elkhart
Grade School and then Mount Pulaski High School, before of course
continuing her career at Lincoln College, Crawford said, "Volleyball
is life, as I always thought it was, playing. I still think it is,
but I have to remind them that there is life after volleyball and
that they're gonna be okay. They're gonna be okay. Thirty-two years
ago or however long it was in my super sectional match I played
Stewardson-Strasburg and got beat by the same team. But you know
what? I still remember sitting on that bleacher after that loss. And
I told them you're still gonna remember this day. It's not that
you're defeated but it's a memory here."
Thanks, Lady Railers, for the memories of an outstanding season.
Lincoln stats
Kaylyn Hoffert 18 kills, 3 blocks
Brook Soebbing 4 kills, 2 blocks
Brooklyn Elsas 11 kills
Emma O'Donohue 2 kills, 17 assists
Josalyn Owens 4 kills
Autumn Hoffert 2 kills
Grace Bossingham 2 kills
Kaelyn Froebe 1 kill
Morgan Lolling 19 assists
Julia Huynh 2 assists
[Teena Lowery] |
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