Gallery by Tina Laney
Woodrow Wilson had been down this road before and did not like the result.
Unfortunately for the Flying Eagles, Wednesday in the quarterfinal round of the State Volleyball Tournament, they were haunted by that same nightmare.
After dominating No. 5-seed Spring Valley in set one, No. 4 Woodrow Wilson came up short in the next three sets, thwarting its quest for a semifinal appearance.
“All season long we have not done well in the second match,” Woodrow Wilson head coach Bre Rhodes said. “We did something like that against Cabell Midland. We beat them 25-6 and then lost the next two (sets). You always want that to help you going into the next set, but it didn’t happen. We just kind of fell flat after that.”
Trailing 4-3 in the opening set, the Flying Eagles erupted for 20 consecutive points, cruising to a 25-6 win.
Following an attacking error from the Timberwolves to even the set, Woodrow freshman Kyndra Bailey ripped off 19 straight service points which included seven aces.
Fellow freshman Mollie Smith had added block and a kill during the run, while junior Anya Hasan dropped three bombs in the massive explosion.
Although she watched her team take a sound beating in set one, first year Spring Valley head coach Brooke Smith refused to panic.
“We only beat them one time this season and it was when they didn’t have their full roster. We knew they were a good team and they were going to come out strong,” Smith said. “I think set one was nerves. I let it ride out and let them feel the numbness of that (loss). I told them this is about mental toughness. You either forget about it or you continue to let it happen and we go home.”
When the Timberwolves hit the court for set two, the memories of the opening struggles were long gone.
Holding a 6-5 lead, Spring Valley had its first of several outburst down the stretch, exploding on a 10-1 run. Back-to-back kills from Ava Robertson sealed a 25-14 win to even the match.
“We had the volleyball skills to be here, but at this level, it is mental toughness,” Smith reiterated. “That is what I preached to them. We have been practicing that all year long.”
Once the momentum bus for Woodrow Wilson shutdown, the Flying Eagles could never find the keys to get it restarted.
“We knew they were going line and we knew our outside could hit cross on them,” Smith said in regards to slowing down the Woodrow attack. “So, we just watched film, strategized and every single day we picked something out to work on. This is a really strategic team and I am proud of them. We did not want to go home at 8:30 in the morning.”
Trailing 9-8 in set three, Woodrow Wilson fell victim to another Spring Valley outburst which moved the margin to nine points at 17-8.
Two kills each from senior Kiki Brumfield and Emma Edwards sparked the run sending the Timberwolves to a 25-18 win.
The Flying Eagles did not go down without a fight and jumped out to a 10-8 lead in set four, but Spring Valley had the answer with a 6-0 run and never trailed the rest of the way.
Facing elimination at 24-19, Woodrow Wilson scored three straight points, but a kill from Edwards sealed the deal for the Timberwolves, sending them to a semifinal showdown with No. 1 Hedgesville.
“Definitely a frustrating day. I think we just overthought things today and got in our own heads. Sometimes when you over-think things and try to place it too hard or you want to do something different, it doesn’t work,” Rhodes said. “You have to stick with what you know and keep swinging. We tried to save the timeouts, but the pressure of the big game gets to people. After that first match, Spring Valley came back with a vengeance. They played well. That is what you expect out of the (4 versus 5 seed) match, an even match and that is what it was.”
