Sixth time's the charm for Edmond Memorial as they defeat Tulsa Union for Class 6A volleyball state title
By SCOTT WRIGHT, Staff Writer, swright@opubco.com
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Published: October 18, 2009
SAPULPA — For Edmond Memorial, it seemed like the winning point would never come.
Five times the Lady Bulldogs failed to score the championship point, but on their sixth try, junior Caitlin Scott landed the winning kill to seal a thrilling 3-2 victory over Tulsa Union in the Class 6A state finals Saturday night at Sapulpa High School’s Chieftain Center. "I felt like we were going to volley for the rest of our lives,” Memorial junior Mattie Burleson said. "We stuck it out and finished the game and did what we came to do.” It was the same thing the Lady Bulldogs came to do last year, but Broken Arrow sent them home in the first round. With that etched in their memories, the Lady Bulldogs came into this year’s state tournament with a better focus. "We came in confident, but we weren’t as cocky as last year,” tournament MVP Micha Hancock said. "We knew any team could beat us out, so we had to show up like we wanted to win, and that’s what we did.” Memorial saw little resistance in 3-0 wins during the first round and semifinals. Then it opened the championship match with a 25-12 defeat of Union. But the Lady Redskins won the second game and scored the first 11 points of the third before taking a 2-1 lead in the match. That put Memorial in do-or-die mode. "I don’t know if I’ve ever had my back against the wall as much as that,” Memorial coach Edgar Miraku said. "Down 11-0 in the third — from there, it can only get better. "We did an excellent job of just hanging in there — hanging and hanging and waiting for the right opportunity and taking advantage of it.” Hancock, a hard-hitting junior who is arguably the best player in the state, scored several key points in Memorial’s 18-16 win in the fifth game, advancing Memorial to championship point three times. But the ball found its way to Scott on the left side in the final sequence. "It was such an adrenaline rush, I don’t even know if I had a clear thought,” Scott said. "It seemed like that ball was in the air forever before I finally hit it. "I just wanted to win one for the ’Dogs.” Memorial has won three 6A titles in five years, claiming the last three odd-year championships. But the Lady Bulldogs will be looking for even-year success in 2010, considering they lose only one senior, Jaira Wilsey, from this year’s title team. "Jaira’s a great player and she added so much to our team,” Scott said. "Next year, we’re gonna be amazing.”
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