By Chris Parker & Danielle King
There are many superlatives that can be used to describe the run Fair Grove volleyball has been on in recent years. Dominant, overwhelming, juggernaut are just a few in a long list.
After a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-17) sweep of Bishop LeBlond in the Class 2 state championship on Saturday, there is a new word for that list.
Perfect.
The Eagles completed a perfect 41-0 season running their overall winning streak to 50 matches.
“I am in a surreal moment right now,” Fair Grove head coach Tonya Peck said. “During that game I was telling myself to soak in every point. These seniors, it is their last time for me to coach them, so every timeout soak it in and do not think ahead. We were rolling a little bit there in that second set and again in that third set. I was trying not to overlook the moment and think we are going to do this. I wanted to zone in on every point because this group is so special. I love them like they are my own. For them to do this, it is deserving. They deserve to go down in history.”
Things weren’t smooth sailing for all three sets for Fair Grove. Bishop LeBlond jumped on the Eagles early in the first set taking a 4-1 lead off the top. Fair Grove battled back to take its first lead of the set at 11-10. After Bishop LeBlond tied it at 11, Fair Grove rattled off six straight points to pull away.
“We just had to settle in a little bit. We were making some unforced errors that we don’t typically make,” Peck said. “Once we got to rolling and got in the flow of things it helped a lot.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
Those six points proved to be the winning margin of the first set at 25-19.
“Throughout our season we have had a lot of games where we have started off down and we have had to work our way back up,” Fair Grove senior Ashton Bell said. “I feel in situations where games are really close or tied, we know how to get out of it pretty well. We all come in the huddle and hype each other up and tell each other what we need to do better. We are good at getting out of those situations.”
The second set saw Fair Grove hop out early and lead for the entire set on the way to a 25-20 win to take a 2-0 lead.
In the third set, Bishop LeBlond was ready to battle. The Golden Eagles carried a 14-12 lead midway through the set forcing a Fair Grove timeout.
The Eagles went to the sideline to rally.
“We were able to watch film last night and this morning and then I was able to relay that to the girls,” Peck said. “I kept telling them that if we get in a tight spot where things aren’t going the way we need to go, you remember the things we talked about on our scouting report, and you hit the holes and be prepared for what is coming at us and they did that.”
Fair Grove reeled off five straight points out of the timeout and closed the set on a 13-3 run to claim the state title.
The final point set off an emotional celebration, as the six seniors who have been at the center of this historic run concluded their high school volleyball careers with a unbeaten state championship.
“I don’t have enough words for them (the seniors),” Peck said. “They lead these kids. They lead these underclassmen. These juniors have learned so much from them, and they are going to be ready to step into their shoes next year I have no doubt because of the legacy that these seniors are leaving.”
That senior group includes Bell, Greta Arnett, Brooke Daniels, Abbey Green, Emaley Stallings and Shea Skouby.
“Growing up as little girls we would watch volleyball and dream of playing in bigger places. Dream of playing our senior year and making it here. It is just amazing making it two times with this group of girls because we love each other so much and love Coach Peck so much,” Bell said. “It is just a dream come true. It is surreal.”
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE MATCH
Saturday’s win marked the 50th in a row for Fair Grove to tie the Eagles for fifth all-time in most consecutive wins. It will fall to the underclassmen who authored an unbeaten junior varsity season to grow that varsity streak.
“I was hugging each of those juniors saying it is your turn next. They are ready to get in and get their chance,” Peck said. “This is awesome for them to be under these lights and in this situation because I think it helps calm their nerves. When it is their turn, they are going to say ‘I have been in this situation. I have been on a big stage. I can play and do it confidently.’”
