Blue Dons run ends in state semifinals
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CHARLESTON – The Madonna volleyball team staged a comeback for the ages against Magnolia in the regional final, however, the Blue Dons were not able to overcome their last 2-0 deficit.
No. 2 seed East Hardy captured the first two sets against third-seeded Madonna, and the Cougars rallied from an early deficit in the third to take down the Blue Dons as East Hardy swept Madonna, 25-18, 25-13, 25-21, Tuesday night in a West Virginia Class A State Tournament Semifinal Tuesday night inside the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center.
With the loss, Madonna ended the season with a record of 24-13.
With the win, East Hardy advanced to take on No. 1 seed Wirt County in the state final this morning.
The Cougars served first in the semifinal, and the girls from Hardy County tallied the first three points of the opening set to take the early lead. East Hardy extended its advantage out to five points on multiple occasions before building a 15-9 lead causing Madonna head coach Jae Hissam to call a timeout.
The Cougars continued to score following the timeout as the doubled up the Blue Dons at 18-9. The girls from Hancock County attempted to battle back as they were able to pull within five points at 22-17, but the Cougars were able to fight them off as East Hardy went on to win the set by seven points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Madonna served first to open the second set, however, the Blue Dons were not able to take advantage of it as East Hardy delivered the first six points of the set to take the early lead. The girls in blue battled back and cut their deficit down to three points, however, the victors were able to regain control as they built a 14-7 lead causing Hissam to call a timeout.
East Hardy increased its advantage to 16-9, and Hissam was forced to call her second timeout of the set with her team trailing, 19-12. The Blue Dons were unable to slow the Cougars down, as they scored nine of the final 10 points of the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
East Hardy served first to open the third set, and the set proved to be a back-and-forth affair. The two teams traded points before the Blue Dons gained the momentum as they built a 9-5 lead forcing East Hardy to call a timeout. Madonna’s lead grew to 10-5, however, East Hardy stormed back and ended up taking a 14-12 lead.
The Blue Dons rose to the occasion and regained the lead. The Blue Dons led 17-15 and later 19-18, but the Cougars proved to be too much for them to handle. East Hardy tallied seven of the final nine points of the set to win it by four points and sweep the match.
The match was the final one for Madonna’s five seniors – Lacy Quering, Abigail Boyd, Danyka DeCaria, Madison Owens and Hannah Dalfol.
This was the second-straight season the Cougars swept the Blue Dons at the state tournament. Last year, East Hardy defeated Madonna, 3-0, in the state quarterfinals.