Advance rallies for thrilling 3-2 W over Saxony

ADVANCE – There aren’t many high school volleyball programs in this state that have proven capable of having success against Advance. However, Saxony Lutheran is one of those that has.

The Crusaders have beaten the Hornets two consecutive years and done so by convincing scores of 2-0 and 3-1.

On Thursday, that Saxony mojo looked to be every bit as prevalent as it ever has been. Saxony Lutheran rushed out to a quick 2-0 lead, but the Hornets showed grit and maturity, and mostly a willingness to compete, according to veteran Advance coach Erin Hoffman, and rallied for a thrilling 3-2 victory, in a match that lasted over two hours.

“It was multiple things,” second-year Saxony Lutheran coach Stephanie Brown said of the momentum swing. “They are Advance, and Erin is a phenomenal coach.”

Hoffman’s teams haven’t been down 2-0 very often through the years. The Hornets began Thursday’s match by receiving their 2022 MSHSAA Class 1 state championship rings. It was the program’s fourth such title in five years.

However, a vaunted front-line attack by Saxony that came from hitters Clara Brune, Paige Seibel, Grace Ozark, and Leah Fritsche lifted the Crusaders (1-1) to a 25-20 win in the opening set and 27-25 in the second set.

“I told them that we needed to be competitive,” Hoffman said of her instructions following that second set. “Whether we win or lose this game, Saxony is one of the better teams we’re going to play.

“We needed to learn from this game.”

Hoffman’s words sank into the Hornet athletes, as Advance battled to an 11-10 lead in the third game. However, from that point forward, the Hornets slowly began to keep the Crusaders at bat.

Advance closed the third set on a 14-5 run en route to a 25-15 win, before building a 19-12 advantage in the fourth set on a kill by senior Abby Kennedy.

“When we have bad attitudes or we are up and down,” Hoffman said, “we don’t learn anything. I told them to learn something from this game, whether we win or lose.”

Saxony fought back to a 21-19 Hornet margin in that fourth set, as Brune smoked a kill shot. However, taps from Kennedy and sophomore Emma Eilers tied the match at two sets, as Advance won game four 25-22.

“We got down,” Brown said, “and we didn’t know how to get back out. We dug ourselves a hole and couldn’t crawl out of it.

“We lost our energy. We lost all of our momentum.”

In the final set, Advance smelled blood and never relented.

Fritsche blocked a hit by Kennedy to pull Saxony to within 6-5, but the Hornets (3-0) got another tap hit from Eilers, a return from Advance freshman Olivia Kennedy, and following a Crusader error that stretched the Advance lead to 9-5, Brown called a timeout.

“It’s kind of like we sat back and let the plays happen,” Brown said, “instead of making the plays.”

Following the timeout, Advance got a kill from junior Addi Carlton, an ace, a kill from Abby Kennedy, and sealed the match on a block from Olivia Kennedy of Fritsche.

“(The players) decided that Saxony was good,” Hoffman said of her team’s mid-game mental switch. “And (Saxony) wasn’t going to let them do whatever they wanted.

“Once they decided that Saxony was just as competitive as they were, they decided to relax.”

Advance will host Oran (1-2) on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Saxony Lutheran will visit St. Vincent (2-4-1) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.