‘Whatever it takes.’ Tates Creek rallies, Dunbar rolls.
The first time No. 11 Tates Creek played No. 24 Lafayette, things didn’t exactly go as planned.
“We came out and were stunned,” Commodores Coach Mackenzie Fitch said of the 3-1 loss just two weeks ago. “We played flat the first time we played them. We worked for probably the last week and a half on how to shut down the middle and making sure we scored off every receive ball that we got.”
Tates Creek turned the tables on the Generals in the 43rd District semifinals Wednesday at Lexington Christian Academy with a 3-1 win of their own in the volleyball postseason’s knockout round.
Lesson learned.
“We learned that any team can beat us,” junior Lexie Deaton said. “We just have to come out and play with confidence. We have to be loud. We have to play like we know how to play.”
After a solid first set Wednesday, Tates Creek floundered in the second as Lafayette took control early and evened the match.
“Honestly, it was an amazing game overall,” Deaton said of the 25-20, 16-25, 25-16, 25-19 win. “In the second set we lost, and we knew that we had no other choice but to come back and fight with all we had, and we knew we were not going to lose again.”
Tates Creek rallied back quickly.
“We’ve really worked hard this season, so we weren’t going to let them finish us that easy,” said senior Victoria Scott.
The victory propels Tates Creek (25-7) to the 43rd District finals against Paul Laurence Dunbar at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Bulldogs have captured the last two district and 11th Region titles. Both finalists advance to next week’s 11th Region Tournament.
Dunbar defeated Tates Creek 3-1 in the regular season, but it was close, with the final two sets decided by the win-by-two rule after crossing the 25-point mark. Fitch believes her team has the right mix to reclaim the title it last won in 2016.
“I knew we had a lot of talented players, but we’ve watched them for the past two years and we just haven’t really seen them come together and really flourish and play together,” Fitch said. “So, we were thinking ‘how can we get their chemistry — making sure we can actually take a district title this year — how can we do that?’ … Their resilience and willingness to never back down from a challenge — whether it’s in practice and we’re running them into the ground, whatever it is — they always respond positively, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes.”
Bulldogs advance
No. 10 Paul Laurence Dunbar made sure it secured its spots in the 43rd District finals and next week’s 11th Region Tournament with a straight-set win over Lexington Catholic.
“It was a really fun game, we came out fast. The first set was good,” said Dunbar senior Eleanor Davis. “I just think this team knows when to turn it on and when it’s go time, and we really turned it on tonight.”
Top-seeded Dunbar cruised to a 25-15, 25-11, 25-13 victory that will see the Bulldogs next face No. 11 Tates Creek. That game will be played at 7 p.m. Thursday.
“We just have to focus on ourselves,” Dunbar Coach Jennifer Morgan said. “We can’t worry about who’s across the net. This time of the season, it’s all about what you do.”
Dunbar (26-9) has won back-to-back 11th Region titles and with a victory in Thursday’s district finals the Bulldogs would earn the right to host their first-round regional match.
“It’s really special to play any game at home, especially since (it’s) such a big game,” Davis said. “First round of regions is a big deal and sets the precedent for the rest of the time. Having that at home is a big advantage.”
Dunbar’s highest-ranked potential opponent at regionals, No. 8 Henry Clay, handed the Bulldogs one of their nine losses in straight sets back on Sept. 10. Morgan says her team has learned a lot since then to get ready for this tournament run.
“Even though we returned a lot of players, we still had new players in crucial positions. We were asking Campbell Gash, who has never really set, to go in and set varsity and Jane Durbin, who was a DS for us last year, to go in and set,” Morgan said of their development. “Those two girls have worked really hard and the team’s gotten behind them and defensively we’ve stepped up and our hitters have stepped up.”
It’s win-or-go-home season. And the message is clear.
“Just go. Just play. Play hard. Play fun. Play aggressive,” Davis said. “Don’t hold anything back … This is a big deal. We know going to state is a big deal, even though we’ve won back-to-back (regions). We know going a third time is tough. Dunbar has never gone three times in a row, so that’s what we’re going for.”
42nd District: Henry Clay defeated Frederick Douglass in straight sets, 25-20, 25-13, 26-24 in Wednesday’s district finals. Both teams advance to next week’s 11th Region Tournament.
This story was originally published October 23, 2019 at 8:34 PM.
