Just call them the ‘Comeback Kids.’
School Communications Director Mike Hutchens said Union City aptly earned that moniker by rallying from two sets down and staving off a match point in a stunning 3-2 victory over second-seeded Milan in the District 13A volleyball semifinals at Gibson County High School on Tuesday.
The stirring comeback, and 10th straight victory, earned the Lady Tornadoes (16-4) a spot in the tournament championship for just the third time in the 13-season history of the program and a berth in next week’s regional play.
Third-seeded Union City will face No. 1 Gibson County on Thursday at 6:00 for the district crown.
The Lady Pioneers have handed Union City two of its four losses this season, the second in a close five-setter on September 17th that was the Twisters’ last setback.
Seemingly headed for a year-ending loss Tuesday after splitting a pair of regular season meetings with Milan, the resilient Purple and Gold instead dug deep and showcased the grit of a program on the rise.
Beaten 25-17 and 25-16 in the first two games, Union City claimed a close third set 25-22, then erased a nine-point deficit in the fourth game on its way to a stirring 27-25 triumph after at one time being just single point away from losing the match.
Fueled by a tremendous adrenaline rush from the momentum of their rally, the never-say-die Twister girls dominated the final set behind the net play of Gracelyn Sims, claiming an emphatic 15-4 triumph and the match.
“Gracie (Sims) has improved by leaps and bounds, and she gave us huge points when it mattered the most,” said head coach Jessica Graham said following the contest. “We had several girls step up when our backs were against the wall after losing those first two sets, and their grit and determination was infectious.
“We’ve really focused the last two weeks on being resilient when we’ve fallen behind. Continuing to give effort, staying in the moment, fighting through adversity, we showed tonight that we’re capable of doing that.”
Along with Sims, who had a game-highs of 18 kills and five blocks, Madie Theobald had a monster game with 30 assists and 14 saves while committing just five errors over the five games. Brianna McBride came up with 13 digs and smashed 10 kills.
Addison Carr was credited with eight saves, five assists, and five kills while leading the squad with five service aces. Ca’Lae Ervin had a half-dozen kills.
While Graham acknowledged the significance of having a regional berth assured, she said Thursday night’s championship game against Gibson County is her sole focus right now.
“It’s one game at a time in the postseason, and our next game is against Gibson County Thursday,” the coach claimed. “We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves worrying about next week and going to Memphis and who we might play in the region tournament.
“I believe we struggled initially tonight getting our legs under us and with the mental aspect of tournament play. If we’re going to beat Gibson County Thursday night, we have to be ready from the get-go.”
Gibson County blanked South Fulton 3-0 Tuesday in the first semifinal to punch its finals ticket.
