After the Golden Eagles volleyball team took a 2-0 lead against PSU Mont Alto in the opening round of pool play in the USCAA National Championships, in some minds there just had to be thoughts of Déjà vu.

Earlier in the season KSU Tusc took the same advantage against the Lions in a tri match at PSU DuBois, before watching their lead evaporate and eventually sending the match to a deciding fifth set. The Eagles won 15-13 in the extra session upending the USCAA's top ranked team.

This match was eerily the same as the two evenly matched teams battled it out.

In the opening set the Eagles leapt out to a 10-3 lead and Mont Alto never got closer than two points with the Eagles taking a 1-0 match lead with a 25-21 victory. The second stanza was a little closer---for a while anyway---as KSU Tusc broke a 13-13 deadlock to build a 21-16 lead and virtually cruise home with a 25-17 win. They scored the last five points of the set for a 2-0 lead.

The Lions reversed the tables in the third set as they jumped out to a 6-1 lead. The Eagles fought valiantly but could get no closer than two points at 24-22 before Mont Alto closed out the victory 25-22. Every time the Eagles got close, the Lions had an answer and held them at bay.

Riding the wave of momentum, Mont Alto banged out to a 9-1 lead in the fourth set and outscored KSU Tusc 16-13 the rest of the way to tie the match at 2-2 with a 25-14 victory to force a fifth set race to 15.

Say what you want, but you can't deny the old adage that "It's not how you start, but how you finish", when the phrase is applied to an athletic contest. And, it appeared as if the Golden Eagles found their legs in the final set and were going to pull out another five-set win over the Lions. However, they could not resurrect the same fevor that they started the day with.

They took a 3-1 lead and fought through nine ties and 10 lead changes as neither team could gain more than a two-point advantage. Both teams persisted through several long rallies, but it was four serving errors in the shortened frame that finally did in the Eagles. With the score 14-13 and holding serve with a chance to extend the set, a fateful serve into the net gave Mont Alto the final point and 3-2 match win via a 15-13 set win.

Still alive on pool play, the Eagles hopes of making the semifinals are alive and well provided they take care of business against Central Maine Community College on Friday at 11:30 am.

KSU Tuscarawas Stat Leaders –

Makenzie Ailes - 18 kills, 11 digs, four service aces

Lizzy Keller - 14 kills, 21 digs

Kylie Culbertson – 41 assists, 12 digs

Cayla Shrimplin – 26 digs

Lizzy Keller and Kylie Culbertson hit the floor to make a save at the net and Cayla Shrimplin digs out a kill.

(Photos by Rob Brindley)