Lady Blues’ season ends with loss to Decatur

In their second do-or-die game of the week the Graham Lady Blues came up short in a three-set loss to the Decatur Lady Eagles by scores of 15-25, 18-25 and 14-25.

The loss in the area round of playoffs to Decatur ends Graham’s season only one game after the Lady Blues were named bi-district champions with a win over Sweetwater.

The Lady Eagles — who were considered the home team with the game being played at a neutral site in Weatherford — came into the game ranked 10th in Class 4A volleyball. They set the tone right away and let everyone know what they were capable of accomplishing.

Graham came to play, though, and kept things close out of the starting gate. Decatur held an early lead but Graham brought things close thanks to offense from some of their top starters. Juniors Braylee Mayes and Lillian Noble had kills and senior Olga Morales contributed a couple of her own early on. At the midpoint the two teams were tied 12-12.

Volleyball is a game of runs and Decatur went on a huge one to pull away from Graham. The Lady Eagles recorded nine straight points to take a 21-12 lead before they finally hit one into the net to end the run. But Graham only managed two more points on Decatur errors before the Lady Eagles took the first set 25-15.

The Lady Blues took an early lead in the second set thanks to a block from junior Emilee Gordy and some points from Mayes on a kill and an ace. It didn’t last long, however, and Decatur quickly retook the lead and built on it with another huge run.

The Lady Eagles went on an 11-0 run over the next few minutes behind the backs of a powerful offense and stifling defense. Decatur’s outside hitters excelled at placing the balls right where they wanted with power and accuracy. A kill from Morales finally stopped the run.

As Decatur continued to build on its lead, Graham tried to fight close with offense from Mayes and Noble mixed with Lady Eagles errors. But it wasn’t enough and Decatur won the set on a Lady Blues error 25-18.

“Very proud of how they handled the adversity going into the game,” head coach Marci Faulk said. “We lost two players within four days, two starters. So to make those adjustments on such short notice was great.”

Sophomore Rylee Moore injured her ankle when she landed wrong in the bi-district game against Sweetwater and junior Camden Thorne got a concussion in practice the day before the Decatur game.

By the third set the Lady Eagles had all the momentum while the Lady Blues were struggling to get things going. Decatur jumped out to another early lead and built it up to 11-3. Graham fought back with a soft kill followed by a Decatur error and then a spinning ace from Morales to make it 11-6.

But Decatur’s offense was too much for Graham and the Lady Blues couldn’t pull much closer the rest of the way. The Lady Eagles recorded kill after kill and even if Graham managed to dig them out it was difficult to set up an offensive flow. Decatur ended the game and Graham’s season on a final kill to take the third set 25-14.

“Don't be upset with how you played,” Faulk told the team in the locker room after the game. “(The Lady Blues) were making adjustments. A lot of people playing out of position, new positions, running a completely different offense. We went from a 6-2 to a 5-1 (rotation) with a team like Decatur firing at you, that's tough. That's a good team, they have no weak links, no holes, and they're a good team.”

With the season-ending loss, the Graham Lady Blues finished the year with a 23-16 record overall, took third place in their district and brought home a bi-district championship trophy. The team grew and improved all season and, despite the loss, represented Graham well.

“I'm just proud of all of them, bench included. That's a tough role to play and they bring the energy and they support those players on the court,” Faulk said. “I'm proud of all of them, the fight they had.”