The fight for sole ownership of the top spot in the Jayhawk West Conference finished with an emotional fight to the fifth. The Lady Saints faced Hutchinson Community College in a rough and dramatic night for both teams. The support from the community and the intensity shown on the court made this night one to remember.

The game started off competitive from the first serve and both teams were looking at their peak with a three to three score in the first two minutes of the game, but Hutchinson gained momentum and started leading by three. The Saints made an important come back to 10-7 with an even match following through the majority of the game. The first set was being led by Seward until Hutchinson made four consecutive points in the late game earning a score of 19-22. Hutch took the first set with a score of 22-25.

The Lady Saints made it clear that they’d had enough by starting the second set with a score of 7-1, making their rivals fly off the handle. The cheers of support from the packed house aided in keeping the players on their toes and excited. The set was dominated by Seward until they lost their footing and allowed Hutchinson to win five points in a row to sway the game with a score of 18-13. But the Lady Saints doubled down and quickly started taking decisive points to win the second set 25-21.

After a short intermission, both teams came back from the locker room ready to tackle the third set. Seward County started strong once more and took the lead by winning the first two points but its hit back by Hutchinson who levels the score. After an intense set of even plays throughout the match, Hutchinson who was able to win the third set 22-25.

Just as before, the Lady Saints bounced back with fire. The whole Greenhouse was in a roar as SCCC began leading by 5 points. Hutchinson were not going to let this happen and made a comeback to start leading by 12-13. Coach Thias B. Allen called the timeout when saw her team losing too many consecutive points. The short break did wonders for the team as they began leading by 16-14. The game was getting fierce and the tension was high. Hutchinson coach Patrick Hall burst up when the referee made a controversial call that seemed to affect the Blue Dragons’ synergy and gave the Lady Saints the power to win the fourth set 25-20.

The struggle was now down to the wire. The tension shown by both teams was pure adrenaline as the fight for first place in the conference was to be decided by a fifth set played to only fifteen points. The game was neck and neck but Hutchinson was able to control the pressure and came back to get ahead by 6-4. Seward called a time-out which, as before, was without any doubt the key for the team to buckle down and clear their minds. The Lady Saints came back by playing smart and earning four points in row to get a score of 8-6. Every point left the audience on the edge of their seats. As the final point struck the court, it was Seward who grasped victory with a score of 15-11.

Emotions were running high as most of the Lady Saints Volleyball team cheered and even cried happily. Coach Allen could not resist showing emotion as she said, “This is a very important win as you can see in the player’s faces.”

Maritza Mesa, sophomore from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, said “We made it! They were the only ones we have lost to, and I am very proud of what we just did.”