Sequoyah volleyball’s season came to an end Monday night, falling to South-Doyle in the District 4-AA quarterfinals in four sets.
The Lady Chiefs, entering as the sixth seed in the league, found moments of success, winning one set and battling across all the sets before dropping the night 20-25, 25-22, 17-25, 14-25.
“It was a very difficult season both on and off the court. I kind of call this my rollercoaster team. We had moments where we played so well and so good and were right there with the competition and we would just slide down and look like we never played volleyball before,” Sequoyah coach Rebekah Monhollen said. “It was trying to find that consistency and something that would work. I don’t know if I can say that we ever really hit that this year. But I can say that the girls never gave up and they did fight for it.
“It was a good game and they had moments that were really fun to watch tonight. We just never really got that click that we looked for.”
Bella Taylor kept points alive for Sequoyah, finding several key digs on the night while Sequoyah found strong blocks at the net and moved the ball well with setters Raley Davis and Scarlett Black.
“We had these moments where it just looked great and then we just let it drop again,” Monhollen added. “(Black) had a great game and a great season. She is a good option to have on the court when Raley Davis is off the court. She did a good job.”
With senior middle Lily Cathcart working back from an injury, freshman Helen Krigin started in her place.
Sequoyah was competitive in the first set, battling deep with South-Doyle before dropping by five points.
“(Cathcart) was cleared to play based on pain level, but she was not able to practice and my rule is if you don’t practice you have to sit a set. Helen was in there and did a great job. We were within five and the girls did a great job of coming in,” Monhollen said.
Cathcart returned to the court in the second set, bringing her unique energy and spark to Sequoyah.
“She was pumped and excited to go. We ended up getting that second set in which is great. But the rollercoaster and we go from a high to a low,” Monhollen added. “It was the same setup and the same lineup of girls. We just could not get that same momentum going as the second set.”
Sequoyah found a lead in the third set, but the third-seed Lady Cherokees pushed ahead to win by eight points.
Marking the third time the Lady Chiefs have seen South-Doyle this season, Sequoyah had opportunities to hone in.
“Having a chance to see the teams a couple times gives us a chance to remember kind of what they play and who we have to pick up against,” Monhollen said. “We made the decision to try to get Lily up there against their (big middle) and try to get Bella Taylor matched up right with their outside hitter and blockers lined up right.
“I think that did help.”
In Sequoyah’s first match with South-Doyle, the contest went four sets before losing in five sets in the second clash.
Sequoyah rostered five seniors this fall: Lily Cathcart, Raley Davis, Krista Hicks, Lily Stanley and Mattie Stanley.
“They are super close together. We have the Stanley twins and joke around that they are actually triplets. They are great friends,” Monhollen said. “They are fun and excited. Cathcart brings this energy on the court that you cannot really find other places. She is excited about the potential of going further in her volleyball career, hopefully.
“They all bring their own thing to the table and it was fun just to watch them play.”
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