ROGERS -- Rogers Heritage found a way to finish Thursday night.
The Lady War Eagles used big surges at the end the first two sets and a smaller one in the fourth set to claim a hard-fought 3-1 (25-20, 25-18, 22-25, 25-23) win over Shiloh Christian in high school volleyball at War Eagle Arena.
Heritage (2-1) trailed 21-20 in the fourth set, but scored four consecutive points keyed by a pair of kills by 6-0 senior Elleson Dunagin to bring up match point. The Lady Saints (1-1) pushed back to within 24-23. But senior libero Alye Darter ended a long rally with a perfectly placed two-hand dump to give Heritage the win.
Heritage coach Sarah Miser pointed to her team's strong finish in the third set, even though the Lady War Eagles lost. Heritage wiped out a 10-point deficit and even led 22-21. However, Shiloh Christian scored the final four points to keep the match going.
"I called timeout and I knew it was my last timeout, but if we did not start working and getting some points, it was going to be over anyway," Miser said. "I told them 'Win or lose you need this momentum going into the fourth game. You need to push now.'
"I wasn't happy that they lost that game, but I was pleased that they fought back."
Heritage took a 2-0 lead in the match, wiping away an 18-15 deficit with a 10-2 run to win the first set. The Lady War Eagles broke from a 15-15 deadlock with a 10-3 run to take the second set.
Heritage was buoyed by a spectacular individual effort by Dunagin, who finished with a match-high 29 kills and 25 digs. Both Miser and Shiloh Christian coach Nathan Bodenstein agreed she was a difference-maker.
"Elleson Dunagin came to play tonight," Bodenstein said. "They are more than one player, but she came to play tonight. She had an incredible game.
"We have to close sets. We have no excuse. We're a lot of seniors. It comes down to 'Do you want it or not?'
Dunagin finished with just two hitting errors in the four-set match. Darter also finished with a match-high 31 digs.
Senior outside hitter Reagan Robinson led Shiloh Christian with 11 kills, while libero Celestine Sebag had a team-high 19 digs. Middle blocker Haley Richards also added seven blocks.
Sports on 08/28/2015