PURVIS — With a region championship on the line on Tuesday’s volleyball game between rivals Purvis and Sumrall, the match was tied at 9-9 in the fifth set.
After being down as many as four points in the set, a timeout was called with the game tied. At the moment, Sumrall coach Tracy Nightengale’s message to her team was simple – to have fun.
“I told them to take a breath, regroup, calm down and they’ll be just fine,” Nightengale said. “(I told them) to just enjoy the game. Don’t get upset. Play like you like it and have fun.
“It was nerve-racking.”
The Lady Bobcats did just that and rattled off six straight points to defeat Purvis 19-25, 25-21, 25-23, 23-25, 15-9, and secured their second straight region title.
Each team has had much to play for leading up to the showdown game.
For Purvis, the match was the epitome of a magical season for a program that’s in just its third year of existence. Despite the Lady Tornados (6-2) being one set short of winning the program’s first region championship, Purvis still accomplished the feat of reaching the playoffs for the first time in the program’s history.
“We knew that either way we were in first or second,” Purvis coach Kaitlyn Aycock said. “I reminded them all week that while first is nice, second is still monumental for Purvis volleyball. We haven’t made it to the playoffs yet. This is our first year making it to the playoffs with a three-year team. Usually, three-year teams don’t get to do this.”
For Sumrall, the Lady Bobcats are playing for redemption after a COVID-19 quarantine ruined the chance to make a deep playoff run last year.
“This team is a unique team and is unlike any other I have ever had,” Nightengale said. “Last year was an awesome team as well, but this year they have come out wanting it because they knew they had to work harder than last year.
“I tell them it doesn’t matter who beat us before. The only thing that matters is the next game.”
As expected, the night was filled with momentum swings and back and forth sets.
In the opening set, Sumrall and Purvis experienced eight ties and five lead changes until the Lady Tornados tied it at 17-17. Purvis then pulled away with an 8-0 run to secure the first set 25-19.
Like the first set, the two teams went back-and-forth with six ties and six lead changes occurring in the set until it was tied at 19-19. The Lady Bobcats made an adjustment by having Elle Russell and Heidi Hudson concentrate on Purvis’ outside. Sumrall pulled away and held on for a 25-21 win.
“(Russell) wasn’t as on as she usually is, but (Hudson) was hitting it well,” Nightengale said. “(Russell) was hitting it well when we needed it. We just let them hit in that outside and in the middle. I think once my girls started placing it on the floor, it became hard for (Purvis) to read (the ball).”
According to Aycock, adjusting to Hudson and Russel was a challenge due to how well they were placing their ball and hitting over blockers.
“They swung a lot of balls down the line,” Aycock said. “We pushed our back row players to that line. I thought they did a good job of adjusting and taking that ball from them. Those girls are so good and should have scored more kills than they did. They were hitting the ball over our blockers completely. It didn’t matter. Other than having taller blockers, I don’t know how I could have stopped them any more than we did.”
Purvis jumped ahead to a quick 3-1 lead to open the third, but the Lady Bobcats regained momentum and jumped out to a 17-8 lead. The Lady Tornados rallied with a 10-3 run to close the deficit to one point at 23-22, but Sumrall (7-2) held off the rally, won the set 25-23, and took a 2-1 lead in the match. Despite taking the lead, Nightengale believed that her team was struggling mentally after suffering two back-to-back losses and then having to play in a loud environment on the road.
“I think that and the fact that we didn’t do so well against Greene County and Sacred Heart, which were two losses and then coming here affected us some,” Nightengale said. “I think in the end, my girls didn’t get confidence until later on. I think when they were up a few points and then got down again in the fifth set, I think that is when they got confident.
“I think they got down on themselves. They’ll make an error and get down on themselves and can’t get themselves back up.”
Sumrall rode the momentum and held a 22-15 lead and took as much an eight-point lead during the set. Again, Purvis rallied as Taylor Jones and Cargan Kleinke came up with several big digs. By the end of the night, Jones led the team with 20 digs while Kleinke had 16.
“I didn’t think that we played the strongest offensive game,” Aycock said. “Taylor Jones and Caragan Kleinke came in at so many crucial moments in the game. Defensively, they didn’t let balls hit the ground that I thought they would and give them up easier than they did. Balls came over that were hard hit, and they were able to dig them like it was nothing.”
The Lady Tornados pulled together a 10-1 run that was aided by several timely late aces by Alley Young, who finished with seven by the end of the game, to come out with a 25-23 win and force the fifth set.
“She took her time,” Aycock said. “I was proud of her because she sometimes gets in her head. I told her to pick a person and hit at them every time. That’s what got her on the court, which is her ability to serve the ball and score points.
“I really don’t think that anyone could have given it more than they did. We had so many players come out that I didn’t expect to step up the way that they did.”
Purvis continued to ride the momentum and jumped out to its 9-5 lead, but after the game was tied at 9-9, Aycock credited Sumrall’s server, who exposed the Purvis defense to seal the win.
“They had their most consistent server up,” Aycock said. “Their server was serving the ball right at us and found our weakness and picked us apart.”
The Lady Tornados were led by Halle Glover, who had 10 kills, while Madysyn McNemar and Caragan Kleinke finished with eight kills. Hudson and Russell combined for 14 kills, while Hannah James registered six kills for Sumrall.
“I don’t think that we gave them the game,” Aycock said. “I don’t think that they took it. I think both teams fought hard to win that game.”
