Published: November 07, 2009 08:24 pm      

HS volleyball playoffs: First game loss foils Hubbard

Lady Jags lose momentum, match to Cross Roads in 3

It took three games for Cross Roads to eliminate Hubbard from the Class 1A volleyball playoffs Saturday.

But the area-round match at Tiger Gym came down to the first game.

The Lady Jags had the lead for most of the set, then couldn’t hold onto to steal the first game. Cross Roads went on to a 25-22, 25-15, 25-15 victory to end Hubbard’s season.

“It was really important for us to get on them quick because we knew they had a team unit with hitters that were going to be hard to control,” Hubbard coach Vicki Fletcher said. “We almost had it.”

Hubbard wasn’t really in the match after that. Cross Roads built a 17-9 lead in the second game and cruised. Then Cross Roads won 6 of the first 7 points in the final game and led by as many as 12 points. Kayla Ellis finished the match off for Cross Roads with an ace.

Hubbard (23-19) did make the playoffs for a second straight year after never making it before in school history. And the Lady Jags did win their first district title.

So it’s a program on the rise. “We hope so,” Fletcher said.