Eagles Finish Strong in Amazing Comeback Win over Union College

LINCOLN, Nebraska--It's not how you start, it's how you finish.

That's a good thing for the Faith women's volleyball team, whose start against Union College (1-10) in Lincoln Tuesday night was as painful as a road trip through Nebraska.

The Eagles couldn't get anything going in the first set, as Union College dominated Faith by the score of 25-6, and it looked like it could be a long night for the Eagles.

Set number two was a marked improvement for Faith as they finally got some rhythm, jumping to a 13-11 lead. Union College regained the lead at 14-13, and never trailed again in the set, winning 25-22.

Trailing two sets to none, and on the brink of losing the game, the Eagles showed the kind of resiliency and fight that has become the theme of this year's team in set number three. In a frame which featured ten ties and eleven lead changes, the turning point in the set (and the game) came with three perfectly placed shots. The first was a perfectly spotted ball by Ashley Dey to put the Eagles up 21-20. The second was a volley by Abby Booth, which made it 23-20, and the final was a shot by Michaela Crider, which gave Faith a comfortable 24-20 lead. A kill by Bekah Smith finished off set number three, with Faith winning it 25-21.

Set number four was dominated by Faith, as the Eagles evened the match at two sets apiece with a 25-13 win, and it all came down to a fifth and final set.

Like set number three, the fifth frame was a back-and-forth heart stopper, with eight ties and eight lead changes in a race to score 15 for the win. The largest lead of the set for either team was 12-9 after a kill by Bekah Smith gave the Eagles a three-point lead. A pair of kills by Union College, along with a couple service aces, gave Union the advantage at 13-12, but three Warriors errors down the stretch secured the win for the Eagles, 15-13. Bekah Smith and Alicia Smith combined for 21 kills to lead the way.

With the win, Faith improved its record to 11-8. The ladies will be on the road at Kansas Christian Thursday night.