Volleyball: Shiloh Christian headed back to 4A finals

Shiloh Christian is headed back to the Class 4A state volleyball finals after knocking off Brookland in four sets Thursday at the semifinals in Mena.

The Lady Saints roared back from a second set loss to win the match 25-19, 15-25, 25-19, 25-21 and advance to Saturday's 7 p.m. championship match against Mena, who swept Berryville in Thursday's other semifinal. Last season, Mena defeated Shiloh Christian in four games to win the state title.

Shiloh Christian (28-9-1) cruised to the opening set win behind Arkansas verbal commit Reagan Robinson and a strong service.

The second set was a different story, said Lady Saints coach Nathan Bodenstein.

"We lost the momentum and just fell apart a little bit," Bodenstein said. "We just got out of sync and out of sorts."

Brookland jumped to an early lead and never let up in the 10-point win that tied the match 1-1.

"We told the girls, 'Look, you've lost a set before. There's no need to freak out,'" Bodenstein said.

His team got the message and raced to a 19-12 lead in the third set and cruised to the 25-19 win and a little cushion.

"When we lost that second set, we just reminded them that we were still just two wins from playing for a state championship and to get it back together," Bodenstein said. "Our seniors stepped up and said we're not going to lose this."

With a 2-1 lead, the Lady Saints rode the service of Morghan Martin in the fourth set. Martin served an ace for a 24-20 lead, and Brookland hit its last shot out of bounds, giving Shiloh Christian the match.

The Lady Saints' nine losses this season have all come against much larger programs, including state finalists Springdale Har-Ber and Greenwood, along with Bentonville and Fort Smith Southside.

"It's a relief to win and go back to the championship match," Bodenstein said. "That has been our goal all year, and the girls said that anything less than a state championship would be a disappointment.

"So we'll enjoy this and chill for a day then get ready to hopefully win a state championship."

Robinson led the way for Shiloh Christian with 20 kills, 19 digs and three blocks. Morgan Stoecklein had 12 kills and 18 digs and Anna Gookin added 10 kills. Celestene Seabag contributed 19 digs, and the Lady Saints' setters Allie Pitts and Hannah Smithson combined for 42 assists.

Sports on 10/30/2015

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