BAKER — There is a good chance that Baker School’s volleyball team will have to deal with some adversity in its quest for a 13th straight district title.
An injury here or there, a player getting sick on the day of a big match or some other unforeseen situation could test the makeup of Baker
If one of those improbable scenarios happens the Gators can look at Thursday night’s District 1-1A match with Central as a blueprint for success.
Baker senior libero Lena Daoud, in a freak accident, suffered an injury to her left knee in the final seconds of the pregame warm ups.
The Gators seemed to be in a temporary state of shock as the match started, but quickly rallied to win in straight sets 25-17, 25-18, 25-22.
Baker Coach Tommiko Parks said Daoud’s injury caught the Gators off guard, but not unprepared.
“At the beginning of the year we make sure everybody knows every position on the floor,” she said. “That’s one of our things that we do because you never know when something is going to come up when someone gets sick or someone does get injured.
“But she (Daoud) is going to be OK. It was a little mishap where she didn’t play tonight be she should be back next week.”
Baker (7-2, 5-0) jumped out to a quick 2-0 start in the first set as Ayajah Coleman opened the match with an ace in serve for the Gators. When Baker scored the next point it looked as if Daoud’s absence might be a problem at all.
Central responded with a 7-0 run and seemed to be on the verge of taking control of the set. But a Taylor Brunson kill for the Gators ended any thought of a Jaguar upset before it started.
Brunson was in serve as Baker ran off another five points. Emily Stewart finished the Gator run with a kill as Baker led 8-7.
The teams traded serving errors and Baker led 9-8. A kill by Baker’s Brittany Brunson made the score 10-8 and as Parks said, the other players were picking up the slack in Daoud’s absence.
Baker’s lead was 12-11 when Jessica Black took over in serve for the Gators. The aces and a Taylor Brunson kill later the Gators had control of the set 16-11 on the way to going up 1-0 in the match.
Baker never trailed in the second set as Brittany Brunson, Taylor Brunson, Ashley Black, Jessica Black and Stewart took over for Baker.
Things started out badly for the Gators in the third set as Central tried to extend the match.
With a 19-10 lead in the set the Jaguars seemed to have the Gators on the ropes.
Coleman stepped up with a kill and block to make the score 19-12, but Gators still had a big hill to climb. And climb that hill is just what the Gators did.
Baker’s defense buckled down and the offense took charge as the Gators went on a 13-3 run to finish the set and the match.
Three of Baker’s last five points, including the set winner, were on Taylor Brunson aces.
Parks was especially pleased with the way the Gators played down the stretch in the third set.
“They showed a little pride in their ability,” she said. “The last timeout we called we asked them to step up. They took that punch in the gut so to speak that we talk about and they were able to play volleyball the way they know how to play volleyball.
“They served them tough and played well in the front row. I’m very proud of the way they played in the face of some adversity.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker deals with adversity to beat Central (PHOTOS)