While it may have taken a while to get to the end, the Heritage Academy volleyball team found the wait was worth it.
Heritage Academy turned back Columbus High 3-2 in a spirited, back-and-forth two-hour tussle Tuesday night at the Stark Recreation Center on the Mississippi University for Women campus.
In its first season of volleyball competition, Heritage Academy completed a season-sweep of Columbus with the 26-24, 26-24, 17-25, 23-25, 15-11 victory.
“We knew they would really come with revenge and try to beat us,” Heritage Academy freshman Harli Sesser said. “We beat them once, so we had to do it again. It feels really great to get this win. It was an emotional match for us.”
Heritage Academy defeated Columbus 3-1 on Aug. 16 at Columbus High for the program”s first victory.
After dropping the third and fourth sets, the Lady Patriots found themselves facing a major gut-check. They solved the problem by securing the first seven points of the fifth set.
“We have been to five sets three times this year,” Heritage Academy coach Liz Byrne said. “However, this is the first time we won one of them. That is very big for this team. It is hard to win a fifth set. You only play to 15 points and you have to regroup quickly.
“After losing the third and fourth sets, we talked about starting fast. In the fifth set, we wanted to be the first to five, then the first to 10, and finally the first to 15.”
The contest was nip-and-tuck throughout. Columbus was unable to close out service game set points in the first two sets. The Lady Falcons led 24-23 in the first set and 24-22 in the second, but couldn”t close either deal.
The first set saw Heritage Academy sprint out to a 5-1 advantage. The teams were tied at 8 and tied a match-best seven times before Heritage Academy pulled away.
In the second set, a strong service game by Sesser allowed the Lady Patriots to reel off five straight points for an 8-4 advantage. Kristen Phillips had a killer block to cap a 5-1 run, sending Heritage Academy to a 13-5 lead. Behind the service game of Amanda Hill and Kameron Curruthers, Columbus scored eight of the next 10 points in the set. Back-to-back aces by Curruthers brought Columbus within 15-13.
Still, the Lady Patriots held strong and were not caught until a block by Deja Richardson tied things at 20. Columbus built the 24-22 lead on an ace by Tori Renaldi. But the Lady Patriots scored the next four points, including a kill by Sesser that ended a 15-possession point.
“We have worked a lot on our blocking, and this was the best we have done in that all year,” Heritage Academy freshman Allie Allsup. “We talked more tonight, and that was the key. I think we are beginning to understand each other a lot better. Our team work and passing the ball was much improved.”
In the third set, Columbus led 15-14 before a kill by Richardson turned the momentum. The Lady Falcons then reeled off seven of the next eight points. Leading 22-17, Hill served out the set.
The fourth set saw Columbus score the first three points before Heritage Academy tallied the next seven. The Lady Falcons pulled ahead at 16-15 and eased to the finish line to set up the fifth set.
“The match was nerve-wracking but there was a lot of fight in us,” Allsup said. “We knew we had to dig deep and win that fifth set. We knew we had to give it all and start strong.”
Allsup had three kills in the final set as the Lady Patriots made the early seven-point spree stand up. Columbus closed to 11-10 before, the Heritage Academy found its finishing kick, with Allsup serving the final two points.
“We told them we had to find a new energy there in the fifth set,” Heritage coach Liz Fields said. “Both teams were extremely tired. Both teams wanted it, but we wanted it just a tad more.”
With the victory, the Patriots improve to 2-3, while Columbus falls to 4-10. Players and coaches alike noted the strides Heritage Academy has made since practice started.
“If you saw us on the first day of practice and then saw us now you would not recognize the teams and think they are the same one,” Sesser said. “We are a lot better team than we were last week, too.”
For volunteer coaches Fields and Byrne, the hard work is paying off.
“The girls are beginning to love the sport,” Fields said. “Each match we have more of an offensive flow. We are working hard and getting some great experience. Each time out, I think the girls are loving what we are doing just a little more.”
Columbus will play host to DeSoto Central on Thursday night, while Heritage Academy will visit Aberdeen on Tuesday.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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