EDINBURGH – When Hauser found itself tied with Waldron after second set, the Jets did not panic.
Hauser overcame the momentum the Mohawks had build heading into the third set. From there, the Jets had no trouble getting past Waldron in the first round of the Class A volleyball sectional 25-16, 21-25, 25-17, 25-13 Thursday at Edinburgh.
"We worked hard. We made a lot of great plays, but we have to keep our focus all the way through because you don’t want it to cost you a match," Hauser coach Jeff Case said.
The Jets (24-7) move on to face Southwestern (Shelby) in the semifinals at 11 a.m. Saturday.
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In the first set, Hauser jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead and extended the lead to 13-4. Later in the set, with the Jets leading 22-10, the Mohawks showed some life, scoring four straight points, but Hauser wasn’t fazed and was able to finish the set off.
In the second set, after the Jets picked up two quick points, Waldron (15-11) went on a 13-4 run. Hauser eventually came back to cut it to 18-17. That was as close as the Jets would get, with the Mohawks scoring three straight points and going on to tie the match at one set apiece.
Case said the end of the first set was the turning point when Waldron starting gaining momentum.
"We started out great and clicking on everything," Case said. "We were out 22-10, and it ended up being 25-16, so we starting letting up and playing a little sloppy. We were still working hard, but our focus dropped off. It doesn’t take much, and you’re a completely different team. It carried over, and it gave them momentum and confidence, and our girls were probably thinking, ‘Why isn’t it so easy as it was?’ If you put yourself in that position, you have to fight yourself out of it."
Waldron went ahead 4-2 in the third set, but Hauser came back with four straight points to lead 6-4. After the Mohawks tied it at 8-8, the Jets scored five straight points to lead 13-8. The quick cushion was all they needed to capture the set.
"We weren’t all that focused in the second set, so we brought ourselves together and started working harder," Hauser senior Mary Branum said.
Things stayed close in the fourth set with the score tied 6-6, but then the Jets showed why they’re the sectional favorites, scoring six consecutive points off the serving of Andie Clark, and then three aces from the serving of Branum to help them lead 18-8 and eventually close out the match.
"We had to concentrate and fight back stronger," Clark said. "We came back together as a team and started fighting and pushing and knew we had to win."
Clark finished with 25 digs and four aces, Hannah Johnson pounded 21 kills and three blocks, Kylie Lock recorded 25 digs and 10 kills and two blocks, Aunaka Wasil tallied 41 assists, Branum served four aces and Fugate added eight kills.
Hauser now has to stay focused for a battle with the Spartans, who the Jets defeated in straight setsduring the regular season.
"We need to start out with a lot of focus, a lot of intensity. We need to start off strong," Branum said.
