Socastee volleyball earns small bit of revenge with win over Conway

Senior night isn’t like most others on the schedule.

With that said, anything less than an extraordinary result was acceptable for the Socastee volleyball team.

Taking on rival Conway in a pivotal Region VI-5A contest, the Braves were able to avenge an earlier loss, downing the Tigers 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 27-25).

“Coming into tonight’s game was a bit nerve-racking because they beat us the last time we saw them,” said Socastee volleyball coach Kristi Garrett. “We were all on edge with it being senior night and the girls being emotional, but they came and pulled it off and held their own.”

Swept out of the Conway gym mere weeks ago, it seemed early on a similar fate would befall Socastee as the Tigers stormed out to 5-1 lead in the first game.

Momentum tends to only be as good as the next point, however. A solid kill courtesy of Megan Faris helped turn the tide for the Braves, allowing them to get back into things.

“(Faris) was all over the court, doing what we wanted her to do,” Garrett said. “She had a couple errors here and there, but when needed she really put our team on her back.”

Both teams would have ample opportunities in the opening set, each in the latter portion of the frame. But Socastee had just enough, winning it 26-24.

Still riding an emotional high, the Braves built a lead in the second game. Just as Conway was unable to do in the first set, Socastee could not hold its advantage in the second, eventually allowing the Tigers to lead by as many as four points down the stretch.

Relying on their net players, the Braves inevitably would claim the second, sending a bevy of Tiger volleys back into voids on the floor.

“They stepped up really good, and knew where the spots were open on Conway and were hitting it or tipping it,” Garrett said. “That’s all they really had to do tonight.”

Socastee almost let another early lead go to waste in the third, allowing the Tigers to come back from eight points down to tie the game at 20-20. But as it had done all night, the Braves’ perseverance won the day.

“All I could say to (my team) was if they wanted it, they had to dig deep,” Garrett said. “That’s what they did, they pushed themselves. They wanted that win.”

With the victory, Socastee earned its third consecutive victory in Region VI-5A play. The Braves are no 10-9 overall, and 5-3 in the league.

As for Conway, the loss drops it to 11-6-2 on the season. It was only its second loss by a Region VI-5A opponent, its other defeat coming at the hands of league leader Carolina Forest.

Nevertheless, Tigers volleyball coach Julie Livingston was less than pleased with her team’s effort.

“Our girls didn’t play to their level tonight, they just didn’t come ready to play,” she said.

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 9:41 PM with the headline "Socastee volleyball earns small bit of revenge with win over Conway."