Saturday night at Independence High School is was the “Drive for Five” for Shady Spring.
After winning the last four Class AA Region 3 volleyball titles, the Tigers looked to add another plaque to the trophy case.
The Shady bus still has plenty of gas in the tank.
After sweeping PikeView 3-0 (25-6, 25-17, 25-12) in the first match, the Tigers secured the title with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-8, 25-17) win over Herbert Hoover.
“We had a slow start, but once they had to, they picked it up,” Shady Spring first year head coach Brantlea Wood said about the championship match. “Sometimes it is a little bit of excitement and losing focus of where we are at. Once they zero back in, they are usually pretty good together.”
It is often said that beating a team three times in a season is tough. To secure the regional crown, Shady was tasked with beating the Huskies for the third time in less than a week.
The first win was Tuesday in the sectional semifinal, while the second win was two days later in the sectional championship game.
While admitting it was a tough task, Wood also explained it was not a new experience for the Tigers.
“We had to do it last year too and we ended up beating them again in the state tournament,” Wood recalled. “We see them a lot, so we just have to keep up the intensity and not let them creep back in. Just stay on top of it. They are a good team, so it is good for us to play somebody like that.”
Following the two sound victories earlier in the week, set one appeared to be going along that same path when Shady ran out to a 16-6 advantage.
An easy victory was not meant to be, however.
Herbert Hoover rallied to within two points at 22-20, before senior Camille Testerman had seen enough. Calling for the ball, Testerman dropped back-to-back bombs to restore order and propel the Tigers to a 25-22 win.
“The last couple of weeks she has really come into her own,” Wood said. “She has turned it on like a switch.”
The spark carried over to set two where Shady Spring dominated leading 23-5 before setting for a 25-8 win.
The Tigers did not let up and once again took early control in the final set of the night building a 17-9 advantage. When the final whistle sounded, the Tigers held a 25-17 win and the coveted plaque.
“The key for us is sharing the ball, spreading the love out and giving it to different people,” Wood said. “We have six hitters on the floor. There are threats from either side, front row and back row. They are everywhere.”
Wood took over the Shady Spring program this past summer and while she was on the staff last year for the postseason, this year was her first as the head coach of the Tigers.
“It is a good feeling. I have been a little nervous all day just because of the hype and the intensity of the games,” Wood said. “Any team can beat you on any give day, so you have to show up. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
As a result of their first round wins, both Shady Spring and Herbert Hoover punched their ticket to the state volleyball tournament that starts Wednesday inside the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
The Huskies beat Wyoming East in its opening match to move into the championship round against the Tigers.
“I thought we had flashes of the team that I knew we had. We were playing to our game plan, but we had moments where we were breaking down in communication and letting balls drop,” Herbert Hoover head coach Anita King said. “That is pretty aggravating at this point in the season. At the end of the day, we pulled out the win and that is what matters.”
The opening set was controlled easily by the Huskies in a 25-14 win. Wyoming East answered back with a 25-17 win in set two to make things interesting.
“You have to be willing to let the last set go when you drop one. Then get back out on the court and play to our game. We play a completely different style of volleyball than Wyoming East,” King said. “There were times where we wanted to battle at the net with them and that is not our game. With their height, we are not going to win that battle. I had to remind them to get the ball off the net.”
Heading her advice, the Huskies took the final two sets 25-15 and 25-12 for the win.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these girls,” Wyoming East head coach Tabitha Lusk said. “Finally I had to tell them to stop looking at the scoreboard that they were playing great ball. It didn’t end the way we wanted, but when I think of my girls and their age and experience, I am super proud of them.”
Bringing a young team to the regional round for the second year in a row, Lusk is ready to keep building on her team’s success.
“We are going to take this video and learn from our mistakes,” Lusk said. “Hopefully we come back stronger and faster for next year.”