It's been an incredible run for the Silverdale Lady Seahawks in recent days as they shocked everyone except themselves by winning the District 5-A volleyball tournament last week.
They entered as the third-seeded team before knocking off number-two Boyd-Buchanan in the semifinals and then top-seeded Grace in the final.
That run of good fortune continued at Sale Creek's McEwen Gymnasium on Monday as they ended Lookout Valley's season in a semifinal round of the Region 3-A tournament, but reality came crashing to earth in the final where Sale Creek rallied from an opening-set defeat to beat the Lady Seahawks, 3-1.
Sale Creek had advanced to the championship match with a tough four-set win over Grace, the Lady Panthers prevailing by scores of 22-25, 25-20, 25-17 and 25-23. Silverdale had few problems taking care of Lookout Valley by scores of 25-15, 25-16 and 25-17.
Scores in the championship match saw Silverdale win the first one by a 25-19 score before Sale Creek won the last three by scores of 25-15, 25-23 and 25-13.
All of those sets were incredibly competitive and intense as each team battled for everything they were worth, but that third set where Sale Creek prevailed by two may have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back for Silverdale.
The score was tied on six different occasions, the fifth time at 22-apiece following a hitting error by Sale Creek. An ace from Hayden Barton allowed Silverdale to regain the lead at 23-22 while a hitting error a minute later by the Lady Seahawks evened the score at 23-all.
A kill from Gracie Janow gave the Lady Panthers the lead while a block from Lauren Smith on the next volley clinched the set. The Sale Creek bench erupted in jubilation while the Silverdale bench just stood there somewhat stunned by what had just happened.
It was all over but the shouting as a kill from Smith gave Sale Creek a 1-0 lead. Nine straight service points from Bailey Pugh extended the lead to 10-0 and it never got much closer. The biggest lead was 14 points at 17-3 following an ace by Sale Creek's Bailey Nelson.
A kill from Ariana Smith put Sale Creek on the verge of victory at 24-13 while a Silverdale hit sailed long to conclude the match.
"It was kind of rocky at times, but the competition was good and these two teams seemed to be evenly matched," said Sale Creek coach Debbie Hill after her team had improved to 31-8 for the season.
"I really didn't like the way we started either match, but I'm pleased with the way we finished. Different girls stepped up at different times, but I didn't think we had the composure and confidence we normally have.
"We had a great crowd and playing at home was definitely a key for us. Our fans really picked us up when we needed it. I never hit the panic button, but that third set was the key as I didn't want us to have to play from behind again. But we'll celebrate with a day off tomorrow and we'll get ready to play again on Thursday," the veteran coach added with a smile.
Silverdale coach Nathan Daugherty certainly wasn't happy with the heart-breaking loss, but he was feeling good about the progress his team has made in recent weeks.
"We're still one match away from the state tournament just like Sale Creek, but there are times when you can get too comfortable with a winning streak," he said after all the awards had been distributed.
"We hustled and fought our hearts out and we made it difficult for Sale Creek. That third set was a tough one to lose, but Sale Creek makes it hard to score points at crucial times. But we finally have everyone healthy for the first time and I'm happy about that," he added after his team's record dropped to 20-18.
Sale Creek's Ariana Smith was selected as the tournament MVP after two outstanding matches where she had 22 kills, 35 digs and three blocks against Silverdale after recording 14 kills, 21 digs, three blocks, two aces and an assist against Grace.
Other All-tournament selections for Sale Creek included Lauren Smith and Pugh. Silverdale's two honorees included Caroline Couch and Gracie Pierce while Lexie Horne was picked from Grace and Katelyn Mitchell from Lookout Valley.
Both Sale Creek and Silverdale will play sectional matches on Thursday against teams from Region 4-A. Sale Creek will host while Silverdale will be on the road.
SALE CREEK STATS VS. SILVERDALE:
Taylor Day -- 16 digs
Lauren Smith -- 12 kills, 23 digs, 2 aces, 2 blocks
Sydney Poe -- 29 digs, 1 assist, 2 blocks
Bailey Pugh -- 15 digs, 27 assists
Ariana Smith -- 22 kills, 35 digs, 3 blocks
Abbey Burton -- 10 kills, 3 digs, 3 assists, 3 blocks
Gracie Janow -- 6 kills, 6 digs, 7 blocks
Bailey Nelson -- 9 digs, 15 assists
Tayla Willis -- 1 kill, 1 dig, 1 assist, 1 block.
SILVERDALE STATS VS. SALE CREEK:
Caroline Couch -- 5 kills, 19 assists, 3 digs
Elise Pearson -- 3 kills, 3 blocks, 2 digs, 1 assist
Lauren Grey -- 1 ace
Gracie Pierce -- 3 aces, 22 digs
Falyn Blalock -- 6 assists, 16 digs
Emma Dale -- 5 kills, 1 assist, 2 digs
Hayden Barton -- 6 kills, 1 ace, 1 block, 16 digs
Katie Patrick -- 1 kill, 3 blocks, 1 dig
Jordan Cooper -- 13 digs
Kayleigh Paige -- 12 kills, 2 digs.
SALE CREEK STATS VS. GRACE:
Taylor Day -- 26 digs, 1 ace
Lauren Smith -- 10 kills, 30 digs, 1 assist, 1 ace, 1 block
Sydney Poe -- 1 kill, 25 digs, 2 aces, 2 blocks
Bailey Pugh -- 8 digs, 20 assists, 1 ace
Ariana Smith -- 14 kills, 21 digs, 1 assist, 2 aces, 3 blocks
Abbey Burton -- 5 kills, 1 assist
Gracie Janow -- 5 kills, 3 digs, 2 blocks
Bailey Nelson -- 9 digs, 12 assists, 4 aces
Tayla Willis -- 3 kills, 2 digs, 2 assists, 2 blocks.
SILVERDALE STATS VS. LOOKOUT VALLEY:
Caroline Couch -- 5 kills 2 aces, 8 digs, 13 assists
Elise Pearson -- 6 kills, 1 ace, 2 blocks, 6 digs
Gracie Pierce -- 1 kill, 13 digs, 3 assists
Falyn Blalock -- 1 ace, 6 assists, 3 digs
Emma Dale -- 5 kills, 3 digs
Hayden Barton -- 3 kills, 2 aces, 8 digs
Katie Patrick -- 2 blocks, 1 dig
Jordan Cooper -- 1 kill, 3 aces, 10 digs, 1 assist
Kayleigh Paige -- 3 kills, 2 blocks, 2 digs.
LOOKOUT VALLEY STATS VS. SILVERDALE:
Raven Smith -- 19 assists, 1 ace
Caitlin Pruitt -- 7 kills, 1 ace
Tessa Croft -- 5 digs
Taylor Hoge -- 6 kills, 9 digs, 1 ace
Katelyn Mitchell -- 44 digs, 1 ace
Elexis Foster -- 2 blocks, 3 kills
Scarlett Hamrick -- 5 digs.
GRACE STATS VS. SALE CREEK:
Claire McMasters -- 8 kills, 1 ace, 12 digs, 13 blocks
Lexi Horne -- 1 kill, 34 assists, 18 digs
Miriam Horne -- 2 kills, 57 digs
Josie Fulgham -- 5 digs
Alex Smith -- 15 kills, 1 ace, 29 digs, 2 blocks
Summer Dean -- 3 kills, 5 digs
Maggie Long -- 4 kills, 37 digs
Autumn Parrott -- 8 kills, 1 dig, 4 blocks.
(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)