LAUREL HILL — When a District 1-1A title eluded the Laurel Hill volleyball team in the third set Thursday night, it angered the Hoboes.
They made sure the championship win was just temporarily delayed.
Laurel Hill earned its second consecutive district championship despite admittedly not playing its best match. The hosts won 25-16, 25-10, 22-25, 25-12 against a Central squad that stuck around a little longer than the Hoboes preferred.
On the brink of a sweep and a district title, top seed Laurel Hill (20-4) had to play a little longer when Central, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, won the final six points of the third set.
“It made us mad,” senior setter Morgan Meeks said, “because we know we can play better.”
What resulted in the fourth set saw Laurel Hill win the first seven points and finish the match with one of senior Bridget Zessin’s 16 kills. Kaylee L’Homme added 12 kills, most coming from Meeks and her match-leading 24 assists.
“We definitely played better in the fourth set. It’s all about our energy and how we feed off one another,” said Zessin, daughter of coach Kent Zessin. “We could say nothing all match and play our best or (vice versa).”
Central (4-12) led 9-8 in the first set before Laurel Hill tallied 10 of the next 11 points for an 18-10 cushion. The Hoboes secured the second set when sophomore Olivia Stewart served eight consecutive points, including three aces, to propel Laurel Hill to an insurmountable 22-9 lead.
Despite the 2-0 edge, coach Zessin didn’t see the best play from the Hoboes. Hits were a little weak. Passes were a little off. The crispness lacking early showed up at the end.
“We didn’t hit well in those first few sets,” he said. “We started hitting better at the end.”
If Laurel Hill channels that anger and dominant play from the fourth set against overmatched Central for the Hoboes’ next match, the opening round of the Class A state tournament, it could be a historic event for the team.
Coach Zessin, the program’s leader since 1998, now can boast four district titles.
However, none of his teams have advanced beyond the region semifinals, which Laurel Hill plays in next.
As coach Zessin said, the group can check off winning the district title, preseason goal.
Like needing one extra set to accomplish that goal, maybe a deep state playoff run has just been temporarily delayed.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hoboes win District 1-1A volleyball championship