WOODLAND WINS NAILBITER FOR 2A STATE BERTH

Their backs were planted firmly against the wall, but the Woodland Cardinals had historical precedent on their side in their sectional final against South Pemiscot Saturday at Notre Dame High School.

In a comeback nearly identical to the Lady Cardinals' win over South Pemiscot in 1994, Woodland fought back from a 14-8 third-game deficit to win the Class 2A, Sectional 1 volleyball title 9-15, 15-5, 17-15.

"I was in the same boat my senior year," said Woodland coach Emily Johnson, whose Cardinals erased a 14-9 deficit in 1994 en route to a state championship. "We never quit."

Woodland (20-11) fought off five South Pemiscot (27-7) match points and scored nine of the final 10 points in the match.

A pair of kills from Diana Lukefahr closed the deficit to 14-10, and then Sarah Booth took over.

Booth, a junior hitter, ripped a pair of spikes on consecutive points to make it 14-13 and then finessed a dink into the center of the court to tie the final game at 14-14.

After the Bulldogs pulled ahead on a spike by Anita Pounds, the Cardinals reclaimed the lead, 16-15, on a pair of kills by Booth, and won the match when the Bulldogs misplayed the ensuing serve.

"It was so stressful, I was about to lose it," Booth said. "When you're down that far, you don't have the confidence that you can come back.

"We started to get confident toward the end. I think that's what pulled us through... and God."

The Lady Cardinals' climb back actually started much earlier. They lost the first game - wasting an early 5-3 lead - 15-9, as Anita Pounds and Laura Learman controlled the net for the Lady Bulldogs.

Woodland dominated the second game from the start, however. The Lady Cardinals jumped to a 5-0 lead after a block by Lukefahr, and stretched the advantage to 10-3 with the aid of several Bulldogs misplays.

Lukefahr continued her excellent play with an ace and a service winner to increase the lead to 14-4.

Pounds hit into a block set by Rebecca Fox and Lilo Whitener - a force at the net in the second game - to give the Cardinals a 15-5 win.

"We've done that a lot," Johnson said. "We'll lose the first game and then come out with momentum and win (the second)."

After a 3-3 start in the third game, Woodland's momentum disintegrated. Learman and Pounds once again took over at the net.

After Learman blocked a spike attempt by Booth, and Pounds added a service winner, South Pemiscot served for the match.

Woodland managed to fight off the Lady Bulldogs, however, and the rest is history... all over again.

"Those last couple of points there, we played to keep from losing," South Pemiscot coach Patty Woody said. "I've never seen something like that happen. But I've had it happen to me twice."

---

Woodland topped Bloomfield 15-9, 15-9 in its sectional semifinal Saturday. Desirae Bollinger, Lukefahr, Whitener and Fox came up big in the match.

The Lady Cardinals return to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 1994, when they won state.

"This is a huge milestone for us," Johnson said.