Fighting finish sets stage for next season
But the Lady Admirals made their presence felt and set the stage for what might well be a strong season next year.
As reported last week, FHS lost in four sets to rival Hardin Valley Academy in the first round. In the second round on Tuesday night at West High School, the fifth-seeded Lady Admirals defeated eighth-seeded Lenoir City 3-0, setting up an elimination match against third-seeded West, who had lost to William Blount.
In their regular-season match, the Lady Rebels swept FHS 3-0 on Thursday, Sept. 10. Oh, how sweet revenge can be.
Last Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Lenoir City High School, the Lady Admirals beat West 3-2 and kept their postseason hopes alive. After dropping the first set 25-23, FHS won the next two by scores of 25-17 and 25-16. The fourth set went to WHS 25-16, leading to a do-or-die fifth set.
At 10-all, Farragut promptly took five of the last six points to win the set 15-11, and close out the match.
“Don’t give up, is what it says,” FHS coach Whitney Lee said when asked what the win said about her squad. “This was really big because we lost in three to them last time, and it was good to see the fight.”
Sophomore middle hitter Olivia Cope added that it was a “very big win.”
Cope was asked why the different outcome from the first time playing West. “We played with a lot more energy and we played together,” she said.
Playing immediately after the West match, the Lady Admirals had a final shot to avenge two losses to HVA. Their effort was valiant but came up just short. The Lady Hawks took the contest 3-2, ending FHS’s season.
Farragut won the first set 25-19, lost the next two 25-13 and 25-18, won the fourth easily 25-12 but dropped the deciding fifth set 15-6.
“We stayed sharp for three sets,” said Lee. “We kept fighting to the end but came up short.”
The Lady Admirals’ final season record was 14-15 as Lee commented on the season as a whole.
“I’m proud of the progress we made,” she said. “We had a lot of changes and girls tried new positions and I was really pleased by how they supported each other and humbled by how they embraced me.”
Lee loses only two seniors from this year’s team and is optimistic about the program’s future.
“The steadiness of our two seniors will be missed, but with four juniors, six sophomores and two freshmen returning, I’m ready to keep building on the foundation we have set this year.”
