Wakefield volleyball
The Enloe volleyball team (left) celebrates its victory over Wakefield in a thrilling five-set match Saturday. On the other side of the court, Wakefield's Elizabeth Campbell couldn't watch the Eagles' celebration. Enloe advanced to the state semifinals with the victory.
Lady Wolverines' run ends to Enloe
Wakefield volleyball team finishes season 25-1
Staring down a 17-10 deficit in the third set of Saturday's fourth-round state playoff game against Enloe — already trailing two sets to none — the Wakefield volleyball team could have quit.
The Lady Wolverines, a perfect 25-0 entering the contest, just didn't know how.
With the odds stacked against it, Wakefield put together a 15-4 run, winning the set 25-22.
Then the Lady Wolverines thwarted Enloe in the fourth set, turning a tight 11-9 contest into a comfortable 25-12 victory.
The surge erased the memory of Wakefield's two lackluster sets to begin the match, and brought a dazed crowd back to life. (Before the start of the fifth and final set, the pro-Wakefield and pro-Enloe fans got into a fun give-and-take with cheers.)
Alas, the fairy tale ending didn't come to fruition.
Despite leading 14-13 in the decisive fifth set — a back-and-forth match, with eight ties — Wakefield couldn't close out the Eagles, and Enloe pulled off the stunning upset, winning 16-14. T
he Eagles' victory culminated with a celebratory huddle in front of their bench, a well-deserved moment of elation for knocking off their Cap-7 foes.
Prior to Saturday, Enloe won 23 of its 26 matches this season, and its only three defeats came at the hands of the Lady Wolverines, including a 3-0 loss in the conference tournament a week earlier.
But the Eagles came out fighting right from the start, thumping the Lady Wolverines 25-22 and 25-16 in the match's first two sets.
"They have never played that hard against us," said Wakefield senior Katie Slay. "They really did a great job."
While Enloe was on top it its game, the Lady Wolverines couldn't seem to get out of their own way.
Slay said her squad just didn't have the same fight as the Eagles had, adding "I wasn't really proud of the way we played in the first two sets."
And the situation looked grim with Enloe pulling ahead in the third set.
With their season just eight points from ending — down 17-10 — the Lady Wolverines finally regrouped and rattled off nine of the next 11 points, and rode the momentum to a win.
"That's when we really turned it on," Slay said. "I am so proud of my team and the way they fought in the third set — and in the fourth set. In the fifth set, it was point-for-point, and it could have gone either way.
"We lost, but that's how it goes sometimes. But I'm glad we left everything on the court."
Grace Cho and Bryn Pfeiffer finished with 24 and 14 digs, respectively. Kylie Sicking added 23 assists and seven digs, and Cally Pfeiffer recorded 19 assists and 16 digs.
Slay added 28 kills — and five solo blocks — and Elizabeth Campbell tallied 18 kills.
Describing the season's finale as bittersweet, Slay explained the loss doesn't erode from Wakefield's nearly-perfect season.
"I am really happy with this year, and I couldn't have asked for a better senior season," she said. "I mean, we went undefeated until today. That's really impressive. And we fought hard, it just didn't end in our favor. I hope Enloe the best in the next round."
With the victory Enloe plays Greenville Rose in the state semifinals in Greenville today (Tuesday).
