The Rossville Hornets defeated the Frontier Falcons 3-1, winning Sectional 54 and claiming their third consecutive Sectional title.
After picking up sweeps in the early matches, Rossville and Frontier dueled in front of an energized crowd at Rossville High School Saturday night.
Frontier defeated Clinton Central 3-0, while the Hornets did the same to Traders Point Christian.
Rossville entered with the advantage, having defeated the Falcons twice in the regular season and winning all five sets they played.
The Falcons wouldn’t go down without a fight and took the first set 25-23.
Every set was tight; the average margin of victory was just 3.5 points.
Rossville battled to take set number two, 25-23, then won set three, 25-18.
The third set was another tight finish, but the Hornets pulled away late for a 25-22 victory, winning Sectional 54, 3-1.
“The win versus Frontier showed a lot of mental fortitude from our girls,” Rossville coach Lexi Ellenwood said. “It could have easily gone the other way after we dropped set one, but they refused to let that sway their focus. It was such a proud moment to watch them work together and collectively decide to take control of the match. From there, they stayed steady and kept each other accountable, and the collective focus is definitely what won the game for us.”
The Hornets will advance to face the No.1 team in 1A, Covington, who won Sectional 53 and is 31-3 on the year.
“We know we have no small task ahead of us playing the number one team in 1A, but we’re excited and ready for the challenge,” Ellenwood said. “They’re a well-rounded team, but attack primarily through their outside hitters, so a consistent block will be a crucial piece of the puzzle – something the girls have loved focusing on in practice. Aside from blocking, we’ll need to move the ball on offense as to not allow their defense to get comfortable, and we’ll absolutely need that same mental toughness we saw in the sectional championship.”
The match will be played at Twin Lakes High School at 4 p.m. on Saturday.