HS Volleyball: Heart and Effort Sparks College Park Comeback over Oak Ridge

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The College Park Lady Cavaliers (14-7) came back dramatically against the visiting Oak Ridge Lady War Eagles (23-6) in a battle for early district supremacy.

Both squads opened their respective 13-6A campaigns with victories, setting up a high-stakes matchup that would set back either team with a crucial loss.

Authoritative blocking from the Lady War Eagles opened the match, with Layla Porter, Jade Clay, and Leila Ceaser forming an impenetrable wall against the College Park hitters. The strong blocks, and some errors from the Lady Cavaliers, propelled Oak Ridge on a 5-0 early scoring run.

Timeouts and the occasional Lady Cavalier point did not detract from the opening set dominance displayed by Oak Ridge.

College Park did make a run at Oak Ridge’s lead with a 4-0 run of their own, but a nine-point lead for the Lady War Eagles healthfully bore the brunt of the Lady Cav offensive. Additional blocking from Micah Rusher also put any chances of College Park snatching the opening set at the last minute to rest.

The relentless all-around play from Oak Ridge thoroughly handled the best College Park could throw at them in the opening set. The lopsided affair rewarded the Lady War Eagles with a 25-14 win to go up one set.

A much more competitive open to the second set highlighted the refocus taken during the College Park huddle.

Faster communication, hits around blocks, and highlight-reel plays gave the Lady Cavaliers a fighting chance at evening the match at one set apiece.

But with neither team sustaining enough points to break away, a 3-0 run from the Lady War Eagles looked to be the deciding factor. A second 3-0 run to breach double digits increased the Oak Ridge lead to five on the set, and the Lady Cavs were called on again to salvage the set.

A responding 3-0 run from the Lady Cavaliers nearly tied the teams before a timeout from Oak Ridge halted the teams at 18-17 with the Lady War Eagles in front.

Fortunately for College Park, they sustained the run through the timeout and evened the score at 18 points apiece.

The teams stayed together on the scoreboard for three consecutive ties before an ace from Morgan Madison secured the first Lady Cavalier lead of the match.

The lead failed to last due to another strong overall effort from the Oak Ridge team. More impressive digs from the Lady War Eagle back row kept College Park from dealing the knockout blow.

Needing one more point to go up two sets, a dig from a Lady Cavalier kill attempt took an advantageous bounce off Brooklyn McQueary’s outstretched arms for a 25-23 Lady War Eagle victory.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, College Park Head Coach Candice Collins Gibson spoke on the messaging to the team following back-to-back sets lost to the Lady War Eagles.

“After those first two sets, I was just trying to get them to calm down and focus on our game,” said Gibson. “Regain our control, control the things we can control, and stay aggressive when we get some momentum building.”

The Lady Cavaliers needed a win to keep the match alive. Not wanting to go down in a sweep, College Park fought ferociously to gain momentum in the early third set.

College Park players dove across the floor for any ball they could return. Each volley was kept alive as long as they could keep it. But even with their all put into the open of the third set, the Lady War Eagles were there to keep the score close.

Each time College Park seemed like they would start pulling away, the Lady War Eagles replied with a run to tie things up. The back-and-forth scoring saw the teams tie seven times and exchange the lead three times before either squad hit double digits.

A timely run from the Lady Cavs put the team ahead at the set’s midway point. The 15-12 College Park lead was enough for Sledge to burn a timeout hoping to stop her opponent’s momentum.

Unfortunately for the Lady War Eagles, some more scoring saw the Lady Cavaliers maintain their run through two Oak Ridge timeouts.

Only after a threatening string of short runs from Oak Ridge did the team come close to reaching a tie.

Two wisely called College Park timeouts kept the team’s momentum and lead from swinging in Oak Ridge’s favor. The pause and a kill from Sadie Kendrick sealed a 25-21 win for College Park and ensured at least one more set would be played.

“Coming into the late sets, it came down to maintaining the two or three-point leads we got,” said Gibson. “Because both of us were going all-out down the stretch.”

The Lady Cavaliers aimed to keep the comeback alive with another victory planned for the fourth set.

Instead of the contested open that defined the second and third sets, College Park gained early traction and a 4-0 run to create early separation.

Excellent blocks from Lacy Tinnell and Drew Cameron frequently denied Oak Ridge hitters at the net. While keeping their opponents’ offense in check, the blocks allowed the College Park defenders to ease into positions to set up hard-hitting kill opportunities.

The onus fell on Oak Ridge to attempt a comeback in a match they were achingly close to letting slip. Diving attempts at saves and attempting to hit through Lady Cav blockers were signs of a team trying to seal the deal before College Park’s momentum got out of hand.

The Lady War Eagles fell back on the tendencies that won the first two sets. Blocking, sneaky kills, and aces on serves brought Oak Ridge’s hopes alive with the teams tied at 15 points.

But brief lapses in the heart of the Lady War Eagle defense and elevated play from the now red-hot Lady Cavaliers pointed to another brutal set lost by Oak Ridge.

A last-ditch timeout from the Lady War Eagles provided a slight glimmer of hope, as the team immediately went on a 2-0 run out of the break. The quick burst of points led to College Park calling its own timeout, not wanting a chance at a fifth set to escape them.

College Park’s effort prevailed through the adversity, and in a hope turned reality, the Lady Cavaliers won 25-21 and forced a winner-take-all fifth set.

“I think that the girls were determined ahead of the fifth set,” said Gibson. “They had fought back and essentially made everything zeroes again. Now it’s a race to 15.”

With the tension at an all-time high, both teams returned to the floor for a high-stakes set to determine a potential district front-runner.

The gradual buildup of momentum in College Park’s favor aided the team during the opening points of the fifth set. Renewed energy from the Lady Cavaliers and a noticeably tense aura among the Lady War Eagles fueled College Park’s strong open.

A 6-0 run from the Lady Cavaliers put the team in front early, but similarly to their efforts in prior sets, the Lady War Eagles fought and clawed to make the set even.

While ahead by just one point, a timeout from College Park stopped the steadily building Oak Ridge momentum. Multiple 2-0 runs in the face of wavering Lady Cavalier resistance deadlocked the teams at nine.

Both teams gave the rest they had through the midway point of the final set. Diving saves from the Lady Cavaliers were met with foot saves from the Lady War Eagles. Playing to College Park’s advantage was a revamped home crowd, who erupted with cheers with each Lady Cav point.

The cheers were building to a fever pitch, with College Park needing one point to put the game away. The ultimate release of joy came on an aired serve Oak Ridge out of a College Park timeout putting the final set at 15-13 for the Lady Cavs.

“Oak Ridge played so well, and I just had to tell the girls I was proud of them,” said Gibson post-match. “It’s hard to be down two sets and to start with one win to steadily build that momentum as the match goes on. And I think they did an outstanding job.”

With the win secure and a spot near the top of the district standings in hand, the type of win taken by the Lady Cavaliers may prove to be a valuable learning tool moving forward.

“I hope this win shows the girls that they’re capable of fighting back,” said Gibson. “I think it showed them the grit they carry inside. And that any night, any team can win, so why not us?”

College Park’s road only gets tougher, with the reigning State Champion Grand Oaks Grizzlies set to host the team on Friday. Meanwhile, Oak Ridge will have a hopeful rebound against the struggling New Caney Lady Eagles.

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