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(Photo/Alex Kielar) Preslie Malcuit and freshman LaKyla Bartley work defensively to block an attempted kill by an Eastland player at the front line Tuesday, Sept. 16. Both players were key factors in the Lady Bucks coming back from a two-set deficit in the home match. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Lane Bartoskewitz was a big factor for the Lady Bucks on the front line as they fought back from two sets down to force a fifth set against the Eastland Lady Mavericks in a home match Tuesday, Sept. 16.
After fighting all the way back from down two sets to zero, the Lady Bucks ultimately fell to the Eastland Lady Mavericks in a winner-take-all fifth set.
While things looked grim after the first two sets in the match held Tuesday, Sept. 16 at the Athletic and Fine Arts Center, the energy and fire showed up for the Lady Bucks in the third set as they avoided a sweep. The energy remained there to the end despite them dropping the fifth set, 16-14, and falling three sets to two.
The first set started with the pair of teams trading two points each, before Eastland would take control of the momentum. The Lady Mavericks scored four straight points to go up 6-2 and three kills by Kamden Tidwell got the Lady Bucks back to within one point.
After some more point trading, the score was 8-6 before a five-point run by Eastland as the Lady Bucks fell behind 13-6, with most of their attempted returns hitting the net.
It was then that an eight-point run for the Lady Mavericks put the set further out of reach, with several kills being recorded.
The Lady Bucks were able to score a few more points but lost 25-13.
The second set started with a six-point run for Eastland and several of the return attempts by the Lady Bucks went out. LaKyla Bartley scored a kill to get the Lady Bucks on the scoreboard in the set.
Two kills by Eastland followed that before the Lady Bucks scored on two returns that went out as they were down 8-3. Two kills and two scores on returns going out increased the Lady Mavericks' points to 12, while the Lady Bucks scored a point on an Eastland return that hit the net.
The Lady Bucks got to within 13-8 after scoring three points in a row including two straight aces by Tidwell.
Breckenridge fell behind 2-0 in the third set before the energy came alive, with Lane Bartoskewitz and Tidwell carrying a lot of the fire offensively with several kills.
Bartoskewitz scored an ace to make it a 3-2 deficit and a couple serve holds later, the Lady Bucks went on a four-point streak to tie the score at 6-6. Preslie Malcuit recorded two blocks and Bartley recorded a kill.
The teams went back and forth, trading points before it was tied at 9. The Lady Bucks got out to a 14-10 lead following another two kills from Bartoskewitz and one from Tidwell.
Kills from Bartoskewitz and Tidwell, as well as a block from Malcuit and a net violation by Eastland extended the Lady Bucks' lead to 18-11.
Later in the set, Tidwell recorded two straight aces and a kill by Malcuit gave them a 25-15 win.
The momentum remained on the Lady Bucks' side for well into the fourth set, as they went on a seven-point run to begin it. The points came from three kills by Bartoskewitz, an ace by Analia Palacios, a kill from Paisley Thibodeaux and a return landing out of bounds.
Bartley recorded another kill of her own to extend the lead to 8-2. The Lady Bucks never let the set get too close, as the closest it got was 9-6 after some kills by Eastland.
With more kills by Malcuit and aces by Bartley and Isabelle Biddison, the Lady Bucks carried the momentum before a return hit by Eastland hit the net to close the set out, 25-17.
The winner-take-all fifth set that was first to 15 points or win by two, started 2-2, with Bartoskewitz recording another kill. The Lady Bucks took a 6-5 lead after Tidwell and Malcuit each recorded a kill. Malcuit recorded another kill as the Bucks got back to an 8-6 lead after the Lady Mavericks tied it.
Eastland tied it back up at 8 before Tidwell got a kill and an ace to take a 10-8 lead. Three straight points for Eastland gave the Lady Mavericks the lead back at 11-10. Falling behind 13-11, the Lady Bucks tied it back up after a kill by Bartoskewitz and an ace by Palacios.
A kill by Eastland and by Bartoskewitz made the score 14-14 and a two-point lead was needed to win. It was a kill by Eastland and a hopeful return by the Lady Bucks that hit the net, which closed it out as the home team fell, 16-14.
“I am so proud of the girls and the fight they had coming out in the third, fourth and fifth set. They battled for every point,” Head Coach Latisha Clark said. “They could have easily gone into the third set with heads down and given up, but they chose to fight and play their game. I loved seeing that and it makes me excited for what we can accomplish.”
