AUGUSTA, Ga. - In a heavyweight battle between two of the top three teams in the Peach Belt, third-seed Flagler edged second-seed Lander 3-2 in the semifinals of the PBC Championship.
The Saints came out on fire in the first set, racing to a 25-15 win. Flagler continued that momentum in the second set, taking a 10-3 lead. A kill by Christina Aguayo made it 10-4 and sparked a 4-0 run to make it 10-7. After the Saints made it 12-7, the Bearcats scored six unanswered points to give them a 13-12 lead. Trailing Flagler 18-16, Lander scored the final nine points of the set to take the 25-18 win and tie the match at one.
The two teams battled back and forth in the third set, with five lead changes in the early part of the set. With Flagler leading 11-6, the Bearcats got a kill by Maya Walker, an attack error by Flagler, a service ace from Aguayo, and a kill by Madilyn Reed to make it a one-point game. Later in the set, Katie Miller took a pass from Reed to tie the score at 14, but that would be as close as the Bearcats got, with Flagler taking the set 25-20.
Leading 4-3 in the fourth set, Lander outscored the Saints 8-2 to take a 12-5 lead. Flagler slowly battled their way back and tied the setup at 20. The Bearcats would hold on to take the set 25-23 to force a fifth and deciding set.
Trailing 7-5 in the final set, the Bearcats scored four unanswered points to take a 9-7 lead. The Saints responded with a 3-0 run to regain the lead 10-9 before Lander tied the match again on a kill by Aguayo. Flager outscored the Bearcats 5-3 to take the set 15-13 and advance to the championship match tomorrow afternoon.
Katie Miller led the Bearcats with a double-double, finishing with a match-high 20 kills and 13 digs. Christina Aguayo and Maya Walker finished with 11 and ten kills, respectively. Madilyn Reed dished out 38 assists, while Patricia Pantoja led all players with 29 digs. The Bearcats had ten blocks as a team, with Annie Holesinger leading the way with five, Maya Walker with four, and McCayla Willingham with three.
Lander will now wait on the NCAA Selection Show Sunday night at 10:30 PM to see if if they will advance to the NCAA Tournament.
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