Columbus falls in five sets in semifinal

Defending state champions don’t go down easy. Just ask the Columbus volleyball team.

Facing top-seeded Blessed Trinity in the Class 4A semifinals, a team they had lost to twice in the past month, the Lady Blue Devils pushed the match all the way to the limit before finally succumbing in the decisive fifth set.

In a match every bit as close as its score, Columbus fell to Blessed Trinity 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 27-25, 24-26, 15-10), ending its season one match shy of its fifth straight state title appearance.

“I’m proud of our seven seniors,” coach Donna Fleming said after the game. “They gave everything they had, and they came up a little short against a very worthy opponent. Typically in a 1-4 game, the 1-seed is going to win 3-0. We lost to them twice in the past month, and for it to go five sets and for them to fight and have a chance at the end, that says something.”

The Lady Blue Devils certainly had a chance. Or chances.

After coming up short in the first game, 25-21, they battled back to score the final four points of the second game and win 25-23, tying the match at a game apiece. In the third, they appeared more in control and built significant leads midway through the game.

A five-point run, highlighted by a powerful kill by Tatyana Wyatt, put Columbus up 18-13, and another three-point run made it 22-17 moments later. After falling back behind, back-to-back points put Columbus within one point of a 2-1 lead in the match. Instead, Blessed Trinity scored three straight to win 27-25.

“In sports, that happens,” Fleming said. “Volleyball is a game of runs.”

Still, Columbus was able to recover and, despite nearly suffering the same collapse in Game 4, survive with a 26-24 win that forced a final game. In the fifth, Blessed Trinity took control early with a six-point run and never looked back, taking the game 15-10 and the match 3-2.

“They kept their composure,” Fleming said of her team. “We play a tough schedule, and that teaches them to keep their composure. In the end, we just came up short.”

Wyatt and Madison Zeller led the way with 16 kills apiece. Jha’Meisheia Griffin added nine kills, Nyah Whittlesey six and Tierra White five. Alisi Motu’apuaka had 46 assists and Skylar Blackmon 33 digs.

Columbus finished the season with a 44-12 record. Blessed Trinity will play Woodward Academy on Saturday at Marietta High in the state championship.

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 9:16 PM with the headline "Columbus falls in five sets in semifinal."