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Coppell comes from behind to defeat Keller
BY JUSTIN THOMAS, Staff writer
GRAND PRAIRIE — Coppell’s volleyball team staved off multiple match points in Game 3 before coming from behind for a thrilling victory against Keller, 24-26, 24-26, 27-25, 25-15, 15-12, Tuesday in the bi-district round of the Class 5A playoffs.
With the win the Cowgirls advance to the area round of the playoffs where they will face Plano West. As of press time, a date and location had not been set.
The teams played back-and-forth games in both games 1 and 2, but the Cowgirls couldn’t get over the hump.
The team came out firing in Game 4, before taking the game, 25-15, to set up a fifth and decisive Game 5, which Coppell won.
The Cowgirls had previously played Keller on Sept. 2, also winning that match in five games.
“I thought we just finally got on the block better,” said Coppell coach Sherri Hankins on the difference between Games 1 and 2 and 3 through 5. “Our net play really came alive and our block finally started deflecting some balls. They have some great swingers and they had really good shot selection tonight.”
Game 5 began much like the rest of the night, with the teams trading points.
Neither team built more than a one-point lead, until the Cowgirls pulled in front, 8-6, on consecutive kills by Sally Downs, who had four kills on Coppell’s first eight points, prompting a Keller timeout.
“Sally Downs, I can’t say enough about what she did in the middle,” Hankins said. “She was just on fire and the setters did a great job of sticking with her and getting her the ball.”
The Lady Indians responded out of the timeout, scoring the next two points to even the score, 8-8.
Coppell’s Molly Cook put the Cowgirls in front, 9-8, with a kill, but Keller answered with four straight points to pull within three points of the win, 12-9.
But, Coppell was up to the task.
Coppell’s Mallory Cravens had a kill to make it 12-10, and following another Cowgirls point, Coppell’s Deirdre Pajares had three consecutive kills on assists from Lexi Ornell to set up match point.
On match point Cravens served an ace that deflected off the hands of Keller’s Alyssa Kirby and out of bounds giving the Cowgirls the win.
“I just wanted to step up,” Pajares said. “The first two games, I wasn’t doing that great. I just wanted to step up for my team and help us get some points.”
Early on the teams played competitive games, but the Cowgirls just weren’t able to put the games away. The teams were tied, 24-24, in both Game 1 and 2, but Keller scored the last two points of each game to take a 2-0 lead.
“I just told the team that they are fighters,” Hankins said. “And, we didn’t come to this point to not show up and play. Just to trust each other and be patient. It sounds kind of funny when you are down 2-0, but we were so close in the first two games, we just needed to finish some shots.”
“We just had to push,” Pajares added. “We really wanted to get that game and take it from them.”
Coppell came out hot in Game 3, taking a 3-0 lead on two kills from Downs and a block-kill by Pajares.
Downs and Pajares alternated kills to keep the lead at three, 7-4, but Keller stormed back with six-straight points to take the lead, 10-7.
Coppell’s Taylor Meade served an ace to pull the Cowgirls within one, 10-9, and Cravens evened the score, 10-10, with a kill.
The teams traded points until with the score was knotted, 16-16.
Keller rallied to take a 20-18 lead, but a kill by Cook on an assist from Bear Bass brought Coppell within one, 20-19.
Trailing, 21-19, Downs had consecutive kills on assists by Ornell to tie the game, 21-21.
Meade had kills on two of the next four points to keep the game tied, 23-23, before Keller had two chances to close out the Cowgirls.
Down, 24-23, Coppell got a kill by Meade to fight off one match point, and trailing, 25-24, got a kill by Cravens to stave off a second match point.
With the score tied, 25-25, Keller’s Emily Tennison made an error into the net, and the Cowgirls took advantage with a blast by Cravens down the left side of the court to win the game.
Coppell stormed out of the gate in Game 4. With the score tied, 3-3, the Cowgirls rattled off eight of the next nine points behind the service of Bass and Meade. Coppell’s Kirsten Hazelrigg also added three block-kills during that stretch.
Keller would pull within four, 15-11, but Coppell answered with seven straight points — including two drop-kills and two block-kills by Downs — to take control of the game, eventually winning 25-15.
Coppell will continue in the area-round of the playoffs against Plano West (32-6, 10-0) who were champions of District 8-5A.
The Cowgirls faced the Wolves twice this season, falling on Aug. 16 in the Duncanville Tournament of Champions, 19-25, 25-21, 25-18, and Aug. 29 in the Allen Texas Open, 20-25, 25-22, 25-16.
Coppell took Game 1 from West on both occasions, before falling in Games 2 and 3 both times.
In the area-round of the playoffs, however, the teams will play a best-of-five match.
“They beat us a couple of times,” Pajares said. “So, we really want to go out there and beat them.”
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