BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Union County High School dropped the first two sets, but rallied to force a fifth set before losing 3-2 (25-19, 25-14, 17-25, 19-25, 17-16) to top seed and number-one team in the state Branford in the Region 3-1A volleyball final on Oct. 29 in Branford.
The Buccaneers (26-3) can thank seventh-grader Lalyn Sikes for advancing to the Monday, Nov. 4, state semifinals. Sikes scored Branford’s final two points on a kill that forced side-out and then a service ace that ended the match.
Third seed Union (17-10) trailed early in the third set, but went on a 3-0 run with Kamryn Southerland serving to pull to within 11-10. Later, the Tigers scored two points with Bella Johns serving to go up 14-12.
A Jailyn Simmons kill helped the Tigers take a 19-14 lead. Morgan Smith added a kill later to make it a 22-16 game.
Union led 23-17 with Southerland serving. The Buccaneers committed an attack error and were then called for a double-hit as the Tigers avoided getting swept.
Morgan Smith had a couple of blocks during a 3-0 run with Southerland serving that left the Tigers trailing 10-9 in the fourth set. The game was later tied at 15-15 when Union scored three points with Simmons serving. Simmons and Smith each had a kill during that span.
Sikes’ play would help Branford even the score, but after a side-out, the Tigers closed out the fourth set with five straight points with Southerland serving. Southerland had an ace during the final run that forced a tiebreaker set.
Union got kills from Simmons and Indi Knox early in the fifth set, while Branford got two from Sikes as the Buccaneers led 7-5. Sikes later had an ace that gave Branford a 10-6 lead.
The Tigers closed the gap, with a Layla Barber kill off a Southerland assist pulling them within 12-11.
Branford was able to take a 14-12 lead, which left them one point away from winning the match. Johns, a libero, recorded her first kill of the season for a Union point, making the score 14-13.
The Tigers tied the score on a Barber kill and later tied it again at 15-15 when Branford committed a service error.
That’s when Sikes came up with her clutch plays, sending the Buccaneers to the state tournament for the second straight year.
