After dropping the first set by a lopsided score and then falling behind early in set two, it could have been a quick match for the Langley Fundamental Titans.
The Titans had dropped the opening set 25-11 to the Langley Christian Lightning in Thursday’s Langley District junior girls volleyball championship final at the Langley Events Centre.
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“We weren’t ready to play our game,” admitted Titans coach Ray Sawatsky. “I challenged our girls to put that aside and forget about it and actually come out and play.
“Huge kudos to the girls for finding the courage to push back.”
The Titans rallied to take set two, 25-19 and then completed the comeback with identical 25-22 victories in sets three and four.
And with that, they had ended Langley Christian’s five-year run as district junior girls champions.
That included beating the Titans in last year’s game.
Seven Titans Grade 10s were on that team.
“It feels good,” Sawatsky said. “Our girls had a hard loss last year to Langley Christian so this is a really wonderful thing.”
This was just the second time the two teams played this season with Langley Fundamental winning the earlier exhibition match.
Both teams won their respective pools during league play and each won their semifinal games, with the Titans beating Walnut Grove 3-0 and the Lightning topping Credo Christian by that same score.
In Thursday’s third-place game, Credo Christian beat Walnut Grove and with the win, they join Langley Fundamental and Langley Christian at the Fraser Valley championships (Nov. 6-9 at Walnut Grove Secondary and Aldergrove Community Secondary).
Walnut Grove plays a wild-card game on Nov. 4 to see if they can join their Langley counterparts.
