SAPULPA — In a match that felt more like a heavyweight title boxing match rather than a high school volleyball championship, the Edmond Lady Bulldogs outslugged Tulsa Union to claim the 6A title in five sets Saturday night in Sapulpa.
It appeared early on that Edmond (30-5 on the season) was going to cruise to the title as they easily took the first set 25-12.
However, Union responded in the second match, blitzing to a 11-0 lead and it appeared they were on their way to a blowing out the Lady Bulldogs.
But Edmond fought back, climbing to within three, 20-17, before Union rattled off four straight points to take the 25-19 win in the best of five.
“I was definitely concerned after that set,” said Edmond coach Edgar Miraku. “But I was not as concerned as I would had been if we had not been able to come back. We closed a huge gap and that meant a lot, to get within four points was huge. I knew at one point the set was over, I just wanted our girls to get back into the rhythm and start playing well. After that set, I told the girls this is a battle and we just need to get the next point and the next set.”
And that is exactly what Edmond did.
In the must win fourth set, Union again took the early advantage, easing to a 5-1 lead which they held until Edmond knotted the score at 12. The two powerhouses traded blows, knotting the score seven times before Edmond took control 22-19 then rattled off three straight to claim the 25-20 win.
In the decisive game five which is played to 15 or decision by two, it took the latter to decide a champion.
Edmond and Union battled ferociously, knotting the score five times before the Lady Bulldogs put themselves into position for the win at 14-11. Yet the pesky Lady Redskins would not go away, ripping off three straight to again knot the score at 14 and forcing overtime.
“We led most of the final set by two or three and I just had to keep them focused,” Miraku said. “I just told them they had to maintain their composure and not make unforced errors and that is what we did. The points that we lost, we didn’t give them, they had to earn them and I give Union a lot of credit for that.”
With the score tied at 14, Union matched Edmond point for point then knotted the score again at 16 before the Lady Bulldogs finally got two straight and took the title 18-16.
“I am sure those final matches were a lot of fun to watch,” Miraku said. “Much more fun to watch than to coach, that’s for sure. I always say I would much rather win by two because that makes me as a coach and our team so much better. Those are the matches and sets that really shows what your team is made of and that is what you gain the most out of.”
“I knew that as long as we kept pushing we could pull ourselves out of (being down 2-1) and we did,” said junior Amanda Ayers, who was named to the all tournament squad. “I am just so proud of everyone on this team. We took this match point by point and we did not worry about the things that went wrong. We had the right mindset coming in and we never lost focus. It was just a spectacular season.”
Ayers joined fellow juniors Mattie Burleson and Micha Hancock on the all-tournament squad, with Hancock receiving MVP honors.
“This feels great, I am so proud of this team,” Hancock said. “In the fourth match we just really came together and finished. Coach just kept telling us to be aggressive and now was the time to get it done, this is what we had been working towards all season now was the time. I am just so proud of how we were able to overcome everything and get the win.”
Burleson said the difference was determination.
“We just did not give up,” Burleson said. “We put everything we had into every single point and we just kept battling, no matter what happened, we just kept pushing and that was the difference.”
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Related Photos
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Edmond Memorial players celebrate the final point of their championship win over Tulsa Union Saturday night in Sapulpa. Ty Harrell
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The Edmond Memorial volleyball team poses for a group photo following their championship win Saturday night. Ty Harrell
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Edmond Memorial's Mattie Burlesson hits the ball during the win over Tulsa Union in the class 6A state finals Saturday in Sapulpa. Ty Harrell
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Edmond Memorial's Amanda Ayers bumps the ball as Bridgette Hightower moves in to back her up during the win over Tulsa Union in the class 6A state finals Saturday in Sapulpa. Ty Harrell
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Ty Harrell
Discussion
Lady 'Dogs take state volleyball title
Memorial downs Union in five sets
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