HOPE — Hauser was in command throughout Thursday night’s volleyball game against visiting opponent Eastern Hancock.
The Royals, however, did not go away without a fight.
After the Jets cruised through the first set, Eastern Hancock put the pressure on them immediately. Hauser made a strong comeback to capture the second set and went to win 25-6, 27-25, 25-7.
“We kept our energy up and kept fighting and believing we can do it,” Hauser junior Sydney Schoen said. “We came out flat (in the second set), but we were able to regroup and just get it back.”
In the grueling second set, the Jets (9-1) put themselves in an early 9-2 hole. They climbed back and were only down 18-14 before scoring seven straight points to take the lead. The Royals tied it at 25-25 before Hauser scored the last two points.
“Our key was keeping our composure and staying together as a team,” Hauser senior Brea Metz said. “We couldn’t get upset with each other, or we would crumble and fall apart. Later in the second set, we started focusing a lot more and putting things back together.”
Hauser coach Jeff Case credits Eastern Hancock for coming out strong to start the second set.
“They started playing defense, and their passing picked up and they got their offense going because we did not see their offense in the first set,” Case said. “We got hesitant a bit, and we were glad to get out of it. If they would have won the second set, it would have been a lot tougher match for us.”
Metz finished with 17 kills, nine digs and six aces, while Schoen had seven kills, seven digs and three aces. Alana Owen tallied 27 assists, Taylor Henderson had five aces and two blocks, Tannyr Davis added three blocks and Sarah Tedder notched eight digs.
In the first set, the Jets recorded 11 aces as a team. They were up 22-4 at one point before closing out the set.
Hauser jumped out to a quick 10-2 in the third set and eventually closed out the match.
“We kept up our intensity, and our defense really picked up and had some key blocks,” Case said. “As the night went on, we picked things up.”
