Fairfield advances to sectional finals with 3-set victory over Eastern Brown
LEESBURG — The Fairfield Lady Lions continued to take care of business on the volleyball court at Grandle Gymnasium on Tuesday night, winning their Division III SE District Sectional Semifinal game against the visiting Eastern Brown Lady Warriors in three sets.
Fairfield won by scores of 25-18, 25-15 and 25-22 to advance to the sectional finals on Saturday, as they’ll host the North Adams Lady Green Devils at 4 p.m. During the regular season, Fairfield ended the Lady Green Devils’ five-year winning streak in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference. This season, Fairfield finished 13-0 in the SHAC.
“The girls’ hustle was here from start to finish. They were going hard and wanted to have a great game,” FHS head coach Lesley Hattan said. “They really worked hard for the win. The girls played really well in the first and second set and didn’t have very many mistakes and were very smart on their decisions.
“The third set, Eastern got up on us, and I told them in the beginning they (Eastern) were finding holes. It wasn't that they were playing bad or doing anything really wrong, the ball was just falling in places that we weren’t. We battled back and pushed through and were able to finish.”
Fairfield (18-4) also played without starter Kaiti White, who was out with an injury.
“Kaiti is irreplaceable, and she is a very solid player and a great leader on the floor,” Hattan said. “My two girls (Jaden Smith and Saylor Priest) who are in her rotation are ready to step up, and they are working hard.”
On Tuesday night, the Lady Lions battled tough with the Lady Warriors and gained the set one win by seven points, controlling the tempo of the set.
The second set saw the Lady Lions win by 10 points, though the score was tied on two occasions early on at 1-1 and 2-2. From there, the Lady Lions played well with help from Ally Davis, as she scored points 11 and 12 for the Lady Lions. Later in the second set, Taylor Lawson and Layla Hattan added to the FHS lead with Lawson having an ace and Hattan with a kill. As the second set continued, Fairfield took a 22-8 advantage with a point from Kami Magee off a serve, and the final point was scored by Davis for the 25-15 second-set win.
The closest set of the match was set three with Eastern jumping out to a 6-1 lead and later having a lead of 8-3. Fairfield fought back with points from Lawson with a block and Hattan with a kill.
Later, FHS got to within three points with Hattan having a point scored at the net and then with a kill for a 12-9 deficit. Fairfield eventually tied the score at Davis off a serve by Hattan and then again at 16-16.
Fairfield eventually took the lead at 17-16 following a point by Lauren Arnold, but this time Eastern tied the score at 22-22. From there, the Lady Lions scored the next three points with the 25th and final point from Hattan for the 25-22 win.
Coach Hattan also spoke about the upcoming sectional final game on Saturday vs. SHAC rival North Adams. On Aug. 28 this season, FHS defeated the Lady Green Devils, 3-1 by scores of 25-17, 25-13, 24-26 and 25-18.
“The girls are excited and are ready. They want a chance for districts for sure,” Hattan said. “We are going to have to be ready (for North Adams). They have a couple good hitters and a good middle blocker, so we are going to have to be smart on our hits and play smart.”