Union ends drought against Lakewood

On Tuesday, the Union Lady Spartans took on their heated rival, the Lady Leopards of Lakewood, on the volleyball court. It was non-stop action against Lakewood, as they fought tooth and nail for every point in this game. Stunningly, the Lady Spartans overcame the deficit to take the victory in five sets, 3-2, marking the first time Union has beaten Lakewood in volleyball in 15 years.

With the win, Union climbs to their best record to start a season in history at 8-2, while Lakewood descends to their worst at 2-9.

The first set consisted of considerable back and forth play. Both teams played passionately trying to gain an advantage over the other. Between the spikes, digs, bumps and delicate tips over the net, this round set the tone for the entire game between Union and Lakewood. The Lady Leopards would eke past the Lady Spartans in a tight set, 25-23.

The second set was much like the first between these inter-county rivals. As the volleys grew longer and longer as neither was willing to give in despite the commanding Union lead, 20-11. Ariyonna Spearman, Adrienne Barbour and Hailey King led the team this set with pinpoint spikes aimed at the gap on Lakewood’s side. The energy continued as the Leopards refused to lose, they clawed their way back but it was too late. Union shut the door on the second set thanks to their strong offensive play at the beginning, 25-18. This would be the highest deficit of the game between these two rivals. The series is even at 1-1.

The beginning of the third set Lakewood came in strong, leading 4-1. Union quickly regained the lead, but Lakewood scored immediately after tying the score again. 5-5. Lakewood served up five aces, expanding the Leopards lead 12-7. Union called a timeout right after to regroup, and regroup they did. The Lady Spartans began to rally and took the lead, scoring five consecutive points before a strong block by the Christalyn Parker ended their rally. The leads changed frequently in the last minutes of the game as both teams were relentless in defense and offense, Lakewood tied it up 18-18. After another long back and forth between the teams, Union hit the ball out of bounds on the return giving Lakewood the lead 19-18. The Spartans would gain the lead only to lose it again, as Lakewood finished out the set. The Lady Leopards would take the round winning, 25-23.

The fourth set began strong for the Lady Leopards as they scored five straight, 5-0. Union called a time out early on with the score 5-1. The Leopards stretched the lead even further after the timeout, as the Spartans would get a point and seemingly hand it back, making 10-5. Union called another timeout. Lakewood’s lead slipped through their fingers, however, as they made multiple mistakes. Lakewood stumbled as they spiked the ball into the net on serve opportunities and bad passing. This led the Lady Spartans to close the gap, 11-10. Another round of hard play by both teams kept it close and Union tied it back up 14-14. Another big block by Lakewood shunted their potential rally and allowed the Leopards to pull ahead again, 15-14. After the Leopards racked up another three points, the Spartans remained poised and tied it up again, 18-18. Leopards called a timeout after the Union rally to regroup. The Lady Spartans would break the tie shortly after in another heated exchange for the point, then Lakewood would answer and score another. Neither team relented, as Hannah Register made three diving saves trying to retake the lead and keep the play alive. The Lady Spartans finally came ahead after a brutal round of volleys in the set, 21-20. Union never looked back, but Lakewood made them earn every point. Union narrowly escaped, winning the set 25-23 and evening up the series, 2-2.

The final set was action packed from the first point. The volleys continued, yet Lakewood kept falling behind despite their strong play. They called a timeout to regroup trailing by four to Union, 6-2. This didn’t help Lakewood, as Union capitalized off the break and extended their lead by eight, 12-4. The Leopards came back hard, slowly drawing closer to tying it up, until Union called timeout, with the score 12-8. They would come off the timeout and again be engaged in an aggressive Lakewood offense. The Lady Spartans would be at the finish line with the score 14-10, but the Leopards began clicking. They were hitting passes and finishing spikes bringing it closer 12-14. The tension was palpable in the court as both teams lined up ready to fight until the buzzer. It would end in heartbreak, however. Lakewood coming off an impressive rally in hopes of salvaging the game would send a serve straight into the net, ending the match. The final score for the round was 15-12.

Lady Spartans Coach Blake Travers had this to say about their historic win. “Tonight’s game was a really big win for us despite the score. It’s been over fifteen years since we beat Lakewood at the Varsity level.”

When asked about their performance, Travers said: “I would say our biggest strength is how we handle adversity late in games. Tonight, for example we didn’t have our best stuff, but we were able to piece together enoug hoffense to get the job done. We feel like if we can just keep it close, we can lways find a way to win.”

Lakewood’s coach Angela Neal had to say this about Tuesday’s competitive match: “It was a hard loss. We should have won in the fourth set, but we made some errors at the end that cost us the game. We had moments where we played really well and then moments where we gave the other team points by making unforced errors. Overall, it was a good learning moment. Hopefully, the outcome will be different the next time we meet Union.”

Union will defend their home court against the Rosewood Eagles on Thursday at 6 p.m. The Lady Leopards will have another chance at home next week against the Hobbton Wildcats at 6 p.m.