Hawks drop five-set thriller to Rebels

By Brenton Bauerle
Posted 5/31/16

With the season on the line in the hostile confines of volleyball powerhouse South Kingstown, Bishop Hendricken should have phoned in for a BBC camera crew - because the ensuing five-game battle was nothing short of a

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Hawks drop five-set thriller to Rebels

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With the season on the line in the hostile confines of volleyball powerhouse South Kingstown, Bishop Hendricken should have phoned in for a BBC camera crew – because the ensuing five-game battle was nothing short of a masterpiece classic.

South, the No. 2 overall seed behind only undefeated Coventry and a team laden with experienced senior talent, seemed to come out flat in the opening frame. Several hitting errors, along with a lockdown Hendricken defense, frustrated South’s normally potent offense.

The game was neck and neck throughout, with four different ties, including a final one at 20-20 that essentially rendered the game a race for the next five points. From there, the pressure in the gym skyrocketed as the Rebels and Hawks exchanged furious spikes and stellar passing in several long rallies. One such rally was ended by a monster block by senior captain Kyle Murphy, propelling Hendricken to a 25-22 victory.

In between the first two sets, a large contingent of South Kingstown fans arrived and immediately made their presence known in response to a boisterous Hendricken crowd, which had buoyed the Hawks in the first set. The change in the atmosphere was palpable; with a young Hawks’ squad struggling to find its rhythm with a hostile crowd breathing down its neck.

With the home crowd behind it, South imposed its will in the second game, leading by double digits most of the way en route to a 25-17 win. At that point, it seemed South had gotten into its groove and wouldn’t be looking back, especially as a plethora of errors submarined any effort by Hendricken to get back into the game. But the Hawks had other plans.

“That was a good experience for us,” said Hendricken head coach Mike Harrington on his young team’s response to the adversity of a road playoff game. “We played to our level and gave a really good South team a run.”

With the decibel level reaching jet engine proportions, the Hawks dug deep in the third game and relied on sheer grit to steer their way through the storm. The Hawks’ front line sealed up its blocking woes that had been plaguing it at the beginning of the match, forcing the SK hitters out of their comfort zone, while Hendricken’s own offense, especially outside hitter Anthony Witherstone, started finding the floor with more regularity.

Much like the first game, the third set was a tight affair throughout, with both teams displaying tremendous hustle and resolve. But, like the first game, Hendricken was able to dominate the stretch run, taking the set 25-20.

Yet again, however, South brought its firepower to bear in responding to a loss. South led the entire way, with Hendricken piling up service errors as the game slipped away. Seemingly, before one could blink, South had taken the set 25-17.

The fifth and final game was an appropriate end to what had been a tense affair. South jumped out to an early lead, leading 6-2. Hendricken rallied back, clawing its way to an 8-8 tie, before South closed the door with a 15-9 win to clinch the victory.

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