Bel Air and Fallston are the perfect rivals and have been for as long as anyone can remember, especially in volleyball. Women’s volleyball has lost to Bel Air three years in a row, each time giving themselves a fighting chance. This past Thursday night’s game was the long-awaited chance for the Cougars, and it could not have been more suspenseful. The Cougars and Bobcats went back and forth until the fifth and final set where Fallston won it all with a score of 15-5.
At the beginning of the game, things did not look so promising for Fallston, losing 25-19 in the first set. The start of the second set continued to be a tied score until senior captain, Kyra Douglass, changed the game for Fallston. Douglass scored an amazing five consecutive points with powerful hits. She was praised by the roaring “you can’t stop her” chant from the student section. Soon after, Fallston won the second set with a score of 25-18.
With the score tied 1-1, the show wasn’t just on the court, but also in the student sections. The constant banter between the Fallston student section and the Bel Air student section never let there be a moment of silence except for the serves. When Fallston served, you could hear a pin drop on the home side, with everyone anxiously waiting, hoping to scream the ace chant.
Starting the third set, senior Lily Allman had an amazing dig nearly inches from the ground, making for a great comeback and an insane rally between the teams ending in a point for Fallston. Every point was necessary for Fallston this game as the score of the third set was 24-26, with Fallston losing the close game.
Fallston quickly got into the lead in the fourth set with the help of Grace Pfaff and her amazing serves, giving Fallston a well-earned five points as well and ending with a 25-20 score for Fallston.
Tied 2-2, Fallston and Bel Air played their final set, determining it all. Fallston played strong as a team, gaining an early lead that ended in a definitive 15-5 win. And there it was – Fallston finally beat Bel Air.
“I loved the [play] where Sam Ruth set a perfect set outside to Kyra and she went down the line and it hit the floor… it was just great,” says Fallston’s Head Coach, Layna Douglass. The crowd continuously erupted full of cheers for Sam Ruth with her amazing 33 assists, two kills, and six digs, playing a key role in every aspect of the game.
Every individual on the court made this win possible for Fallston, but special shoutouts go to junior Kayleigh Cress with six kills, Grace Pfaff with 15 digs, and senior Kailey Frounfelker with 12 digs.
“I’m so proud that Kyra was able to keep the ball in play and put it down so many times,” says senior team member Claire Musser. Kyra did in fact “put it down so many times” by ending the game with 20 kills and 13 digs.
“These girls have wanted to beat Bel Air for three years now,” says Coach Douglass. “It’s the first time we’ve beat them so it’s a very emotional win especially for our seniors. Every single year that has been the goal, ‘let’s just beat Bel Air,’ and this is the first time we’ve ever done it so it’s super special.”
Meeting up with the players after the game, you could easily tell how much this win meant to everyone on the team. Several girls dropped to the floor once the Cougars won the fifteenth point, and almost every one of them broke down in tears. “I’ve been wanting to beat Bel Air since I was a sophomore and made varsity,” said senior captain Kyra Douglass. “Every single time we’ve played them we’ve lost, and we finally beat them so that’s why I started to cry.”
Senior captain Grace Pfaff shares this sentiment. “I’m so happy that we won because I’ve been trying to beat them since my sophomore year,” she said. “I’ve worked so hard for this, and we finally beat them, I’m so happy.”
Not only did the team themselves get emotional during the game but so did the student section, standing for three sets. Fallston fans screamed every chant in the book to root on their team.
“The game was nuts! It went all five sets, everyone played so incredibly well, [and] the Bobcats got absolutely blasted,” said Danny Muller. He couldn’t have said it better.
