Goshen falls to Providence Christian

Published 9:13 pm Thursday, October 21, 2010

While the Goshen Eagles volleyball team may have made it further than ever before this season, their journey came to an end Thursday night in Dothan.

In the opening round of the state tournament, the Eagles traveled south to face off against Providence Christian, who was a No. 1 seed.

And while the Eagles won, it was not the Eagles from Goshen.

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PCHS took down GHS in three-straight games, winning by the scores of 25-8, 25-13 and 25-15.

“(Providence Christian) had a really strong server in the first game and we were unable to really get into any kind of rhythm the rest of the way,” GHS head coach Dee Hughes said.

“They really hammered the ball and never allowed us to really get into any kind of position to rally.”

After starting the first game off with a 2-0 lead, PCHS scored 17-straight points in route to the win.

For GHS, as she had for most of the season, Devon Izzio led the way, finishing with seven kills while Brione Cowart finished with four kills and three blocks.

Even though GHS got down early, Hughes said she still saw a lot of fight in her team.

“I was very proud of the girls, they played hard all the way through,” the coach said.

“Towards the end, we were making a lot of good adjustments to what they were throwing at us, but by that time it was pretty much over. Providence Christian is a great team, definitely the best we have faced all season long. There is a reason why they are ranked No. 2 right now.”

After finishing the regular season with a 11-2 overall record, and 4-0 in area play, GHS stumbled in the postseason, finished 1-3 in the regional tournament before falling on Thursday in the state tournament.

“It’s been a fun ride,” Hughes said about the season.

“We are all very thankful and proud of what we have done, but even though we were sad the season came to an end, we are all kind of excited about next season.”

The Eagles will have seven players returning next fall, led by Izzio, Mary Jordan and Alli Warrick.