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Eagles’ rally falls short against Richland, as they finish districts as runners-up

By HENRY HUBER 7 min read

ALTOONA - As District 6 Class AAA's final two teams left the court following a Richland timeout, Bald Eagle volleyball appeared poised to complete one of the more memorable comebacks of this entire District 6 field.

It had already shaken off a 2-0 set deficit to force a fifth set. And when the Rams surged to match point in that fifth set, the Eagles surged back to narrow the gap to 14-13, three points short of their second district title in the same number of seasons.

However, where some teams might collapse under that kind of pressure, Richland kept things in perspective as it protected the lead it had left.

A tense back-and-forth took place right out of the timeout, and the Rams stayed patient until an Eagle mistake saw the ball fall on their side, earning Richland a 3-2 win and District 6 Class AAA championship behind set scores of 25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 14-25 and 15-13.

Though Bald Eagle technically outscored the Rams, with all three of its losses coming by two points, it's where Richland logged the points that truly mattered. In two tight sets to start, it turned it up at the perfect time before weathering a late rally to finish the job, showing off an ability to carve momentum out of thin air in the win.

It was a tough loss for the Eagles, but head coach Larry Campbell admired their fight when it was all said and done. Saturday's loss doesn't mark the end of their road either, as they had already clinched a state bid with Wednesday's semifinal win over West Shamokin.

"The toughness in this group is what I'm most impressed by," said Campbell on the performance. "We could have rolled over a lot of time, and they just kept fighting. It's so much fun to coach a group like that because they just don't give up. Now, can we make up those little two-point differences?"

"And they're a good team, so credit to them. They did a good job and made the plays when they needed to," he added on Richland.

There was certainly a point where frustration could've boiled over into a sweep.

Twice, the Eagles saw late leads collapse as Richland put its best foot forward to finish the first two frames strong. Those sets saw Bald Eagle build leads of 18-14 and 19-14 respectively, and the Rams responded by chipping away just enough to put themselves in position to scrape out victorious late.

Bald Eagle had an excruciating time dealing with outside hitter Kiya Wise, who practically turned the tide herself in the second with six kills in close succession. By the end of the second set, Wise had logged 16 of her eventual match-high 26 kills. And she was far from the only Ram getting kills, as they posted six on their last eight points in the first.

"She's going to score, so it's just a matter of, 'Can you slow her down enough?' and just make her keep taking swings, get her into deep water and let her legs get a little tired," said Campbell on Wise.

They would find a way to do that starting in the third. Though the set was still tense, featuring 11 lead changes and seeing BEA trail as late as 16-15, the Eagles took control from there. And in this case, it wouldn't be extinguished.

Two errors from Richland, a Lily Harter ace and Ava Nolten block would carve out a quick 4-0 run for the team. The Rams would narrow the gap to one twice more at 19-18 and 20-19. But kills from Kendall Gavlock and Addelyn Fisher and strong front play from Fisher and Ella Simpson helped them close on a 10-4 run and win their first set, 25-20.

With momentum on their side, the Eagles would follow it up with the most dominant set of the evening on either side. Five service points and a kill from Kinsey Clark - who was questionable with sickness entering the contest - and a flurry of kills from Emily Smith help Bald Eagle get out to an 11-3 lead in the fourth.

When Richland responded with a 6-0 run, the Eagles responded right back with their largest run of the night. Smith took service line at 12-10 and left it at 20-11, aided by multiple blocks from Nolten, kills from Clark and two aces of her own.

The Rams would narrow the gap one last time to 21-14 before Bald Eagle finished with a 4-0 run. Clark finished the fourth with five of her 19 kills, Smith with four of her 20 alongside eight service points. And Nolten - a typical reserve - posted her second of three multi-block sets (including solo and assisted).

"We put her in in the middle of the third set, and she had a handful of blocks," said Campbell on Nolten. "It's like, there's a kid who hasn't really been in much doing that in a district final. That's kind of the attitude we're seeing. Everyone's pulling in the same direction."

With that, it seemed like the Eagles were steamrolling their way to a championship. But unfortunately for the team, that's where Richland dropped the hammer.

A 6-1 run gave it an early advantage in the shortened fifth, which it held up to 9-4. Bald Eagle chipped away, seeing Nolten blocks, Fisher's tenth ace and kills from Fisher and Smith cut the deficit down to 12-11. But back-to-back points for the Rams gave them just enough cushion to pull it out in the nick of time.

It obviously wasn't the result Campbell and the team wanted, but Campbell is hopeful that motivation from the loss and momentum gained from that surge can carry forward into states. Next up, the Eagles (15-5) face District 4 Class AAA champ Wellsboro on the road next Tuesday to kick off their run in the PIAA Class AAA volleyball championships.

"I'm pretty proud of where we're at, but I feel bad for the kids because they lost in the Laurel Highlands final and here in this one," said Campbell.

"They're never going to be remembered by a number on the wall, and it's a pretty good group. Wish there was something I could do to help that. So, one thing left to win, right?"

Richland 3, Bald Eagle 2

(25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 14-25, 15-13)

Bald Eagle service points: Addelyn Fisher 13, Kinsey Clark 13, Emily Smith 11, Kendall Gavlock 8, Lily Harter 5, Anna Taylor 4. Bald Eagle kills: Emily Smith 20, Kinsey Clark 19, Addelyn Fisher 6, Kendall Gavlock 4, Ella Simpson 1. Bald Eagle assists: Ella Simpson 45, Anna Taylor 1, Kendall Gavlock 1, Kinsey Clark 1. Bald Eagle aces: Addelyn Fisher 10, Kinsey Clark 2, Emily Smith 2, Lily Harter 1. Bald Eagle digs: Kinsey Clark 23, Kendall Gavlock 18, Anna Taylor 15, Emily Smith 13, Riley Housel 13, Ella Simpson 5, Addelyn Fisher 3, Ava Nolten 2, Claire Thompson 1, Lily Harter 1. Bald Eagle solo blocks: Ava Nolten 2, Ella Simpson 2, Emily Smith 1, Kendall Gavlock 1, Kinsey Clark 1, Addelyn Fisher 1.

Richland service points: Kiya Wise 11, Addison Hirsch 10, Kendal Ashcom 9, Brooklyn Roberts 6, Sara Levander 3, Bria Hagens 1, Paige Rokita 1. Richland kills: Kiya Wise 26, Addison Hirsch 14, Kendal Ashcom 5, Brooklyn Roberts 3, Bria Hagens 2. Richland assists: Brooklyn Roberts 40, Paige Rokita 1, Ava Bobak 1. Richland aces: Kendal Ashcom 3, Addison Hirsch 2, Kiya Wise 1, Sara Levander 1, Paige Rokita 1. Richland blocks: Addison Hirsch 5, Kendal Ashcom 2, Kiya Wise 2, Sara Levander 1.

Starting at /week.