Blair Oaks Slips Past Sullivan

Blair Oaks was on the ropes Wednesday, but the Lady Falcons strung together a late rally to escape with a 22-25, 25-17, 25-23 victory over Sullivan.

A hard-fought defeat left a positive impression on head coach Sarah Rochleau.

“Despite the loss, it was a great way to start the season,” Rochleau said. “The game couldn’t have been much closer, with long, extended rallies, numerous lead changes and some great defense played by both teams.”

Rochleau was happy with the overall performance, which saw standout performances from senior Mallory Shetley and freshman Maci Nolie.

Shetley tallied 14 kills, five points and a team-high three aces. She also had two blocks.

Sullivan generated 25 kills, with seniors Kya Harbour and Riley Lock getting three, senior Hailey Volkmann two, senior Adrian Bell one and sophomore Rylee Denbow one.

Harbour had eight points, while Denbow finished with six. Junior Saige Carey had four. Lock and Volkmann each had two.

Nolie, a freshman setter, commanded the offense and finished with 22 assists, two points and one kill.

“Our seniors really led the way, but Maci Nolie played with a ton of confidence and did a great job running the offense,” Rochleau said.

Sullivan took the first set 25-22, but dropped the second 25-17. They held a 22-21 lead in the third.

“It’s always disappointing to lose a close game, but we played extremely hard against a really tough team,” Rochleau said. “We had them down, but couldn’t pull out those last few points in the end.”

Rochleau is hoping Sullivan uses the loss as a launching point.

“If we can take this performance and build on it over the next few weeks, I think it’s going to be a great season,” she said.

Sullivan hosted Whitfield on Monday and traveled to Waynesville on Tuesday. They wrap up a busy second week of the season with a home tilt against Capital City.