Fulton, Miss. – The Indians dropped a 3-2 hard fought decision to Coastal Alabama South Friday but took the division Sun Chiefs to the limit.
Set One: Sun Chiefs 25, Indians 16
The Indians (4-5) started slow and fell behind early in the set. However, despite being down 19-9, they rallied back and extended the set as momentum began to shift in their favor.
Unfortunately, the early deficit was too big to overcome, but the Indians had found their stride.
Set Two: Indians 25, Sun Chiefs 16
Riding the momentum they gained midway through the first set, the Indians battled and took a 12-10 lead. Then they went on a 10-3 run to extend their lead to 22-13 and Mary Leslie Cranford (Covington, Tenn.) finished them off with a kill to pick up the set win.
Set Three: Sun Chiefs 25, Indians 18
The Indians didn't have a good start to the third set and the Sun Chiefs jumped out to a 10-3 lead. However, the Indians rallied and cut the lead to 22-17 forcing a timeout to be called.
Out of the timeout, the Sun Chiefs would win three out of the next four points to close out the set and take a 2-1 advantage.
Set Four: Indians 25, Sun Chiefs 21
The Indians fought through a deficit to rally and win the set. The Sun Chiefs led 22-18 and were looking to close out the match but went on a roll to come from behind and take the set 25-21.
Set Five: Sun Chiefs 18, Indians 16
In the fifth and final set, the teams would need more than 15 points to get the win. The Indians led 16-15 and were serving to win the match. However, the Sun Chiefs were able to win the next few points to pick up the 18-16 win and the 3-2 match victory.
Cranford led the Indians with 16 kills and Sarah Allyn Thornell (Atoka, Tenn.) had a team-high 37 assists. Londyn Bakeris (Olive Branch) led the team with 20 digs.
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