Unbeaten Class D2 champ Pavilion brings out brooms for 24th straight win, sweeping D3 champ Fillmore to end miraculous run for Lady Eagles in State Qualifier match
CALEDONIA — The task ahead of the Lady Eagles of Fillmore was monumental. In front of, and separating them from the Far West Regional was perhaps one of the best teams in all of Section V — an unbeaten Pavilion Lady Golden Gophers team that has not lost all season long.
Additionally, a team that has not forced gameplay past three sets in two straight seasons.
To say that they would have their hands full would be a massive understatement. But on Thursday, the Lady Eagles would give it everything they would have from within to give the Lady Golden Gophers a battle. As a result, Fillmore would gain a lead in the third set to control after being pushed to the brink in the first two sets.
But the Lady Golden Gophers provided an overpowering response, as they bounced back from a deficit as much as five to take the win and advance toward what was a straight-set, 25-15, 25-18, 25-14 victory after a massive rally to clinch a spot in the Far West Regional, ending what has been an incredible run for the Class D3 Champions.
“The girls knew that the task in front of them was massive, but they had belief in themselves, and found a new form of confidence from this Sectional run,” said Lady Eagles coach Lacie Fuller. “We told them that they don’t just draw names out of a hat to get to this level. The girls earned it, and they deserved to be here. I was proud of the way they battled, and how they handled their own against a powerhouse like Pavilion.”
The Lady Eagles (13-7) would fight through multiple stretches of action to keep pace with Pavilion all throughout the night at Caledonia-Mumford. After falling behind to begin the night in the opener, the team would get their offense rolling in the second set to fight back despite the loss, using the momentum to provide an early lead of the Lady Golden Gophers in the final set.
Leading by as much as five with the attack fueled by Emma Cole, the Lady Eagles attempted to build. But rapidly, the Lady Golden Gophers found a way to dig back, as they held Fillmore to just four more points until the end of the match, finishing the night on a massive 20-4 run to end their 2021 season.
Even though the Lady Eagles fell short of advancing toward the Far West Regional, Fuller says the Class D3 Championship program was something that the team found a way to do together amidst an up-and-down regular season campaign.
“Looking back at this season, it was always about trying to get this group to maximize their potential and see where it would lead us,” she said. “It was a very up and down regular season, but each day, we talked about becoming better. Better passers, better servers, better defensively, better hitters. It all finally came together in the postseason. There was a night and day difference between this team the last two weeks, and the ones that wore the same uniforms in early October. They believed in themselves, and pushed each other to expect more from one another. In the end, we did something that hasn’t been done in girls volleyball in 26 years, and we did it together as a team.”
Cole finishes a spectacular season on the volleyball floor for the Lady Eagles behind 12 team-high kills on offense, pairing them with four aces and two blocks. Helping further the cause was Jadyn Mucher, who chipped in with two more kills, and two aces of her own. At the front, Zoe Hubbard handed out 14 assists to round off Fillmore.
An incredible season for the Lady Eagles has officially wrapped up, as Allegany County’s last volleyball team standing concludes 2021 with an overall record of 13-7, and their first Section V, Class D3 championship since 1995. Fillmore will graduate six Seniors when the school year comes to a close this June in Cole, Mucher, Haylee Holmes, Sam Simmons, Selena Leonard and Brooklyn Long.
“I have to give a shoutout to my Seniors, because they have done so much to help get this team to where we are now,” Fuller said. “Emma, Jadyn, Haylee, Sam, Brooklyn and Selena, they have ended their Senior careers on the highest of notes to hit. They have given us so much, and they deserve all the credit in the world. They are going to be missed on this team. I am so glad we were able to send them out by winning this title.”
