Words: Michael Moore

On Thursday, October 9, the Centennial volleyball team traveled to Mount Hebron to face the Vikings in a crucial county matchup.

The first set saw Centennial shooting out of the gates, climbing to a 8-0 lead early on. Senior Meghan Kelley and junior Emily Allen led the charge for the Eagles in the first set. However, the home Vikings found their stride and gained lots of momentum to pull away with the victory in the first set 25-15.

Putting the first set behind them, the Eagles rebounded in the second set. Allen, Kelley, and senior Monika Buczak performed very well, and helped the Eagles take the second frame 25-17.

With a large, rowdy crowd on hand, and a tied up game, the atmosphere in the gym was electric, and the stage was set for an exciting end to the game.

The third set was back and forth all the way through. Kelly and Allen continued their fantastic performances, making big plays to keep Centennial in the hunt. Both teams exchanged leads, with the Eagles coming back to tie the set at 24 all. During the tiebreaker, the lead continued to go back and forth, until the Vikings snuck by with the 29-27 win.

The final stage was set for this fantastic game. The crowd was energized and ready to go. The fourth set was the same as most of the game. The Vikings held a slight advantage, but the Eagles were not far behind. Kelley was making big plays like she had been all night, and, with sophomore Sabrina Han setting her up nicely, she continued to score points. Senior Chloe Attram also stepped up in the last frame, scoring quite a few crucial points. In the end though, the Eagles fell 25-23, and lost the game 3 sets to 1. The Eagles fought hard throughout the entire contest, and showed some very good teamwork.

The Eagles will look to rebound on October 14 as the travel to Howard for an important game against the Lions.