Trophy Club Nelson rallies for hard-fought win
By: By Art Garcia
Trophy Club Nelson isn't ready for its first season in the playoffs to end. The Bobcats rallied from a set down to eliminate Granbury 21-25, 25-22, 25-20, 27-25 Tuesday night in the Class 4A Region I quarterfinals.
Nelson (33-10) advances to face Dumas on Friday in the regional semifinals at McMurry University in Abilene.
Dropping the first set didn't throw off the Bobcats. Nelson coach Libby Pacheco said her team knows how to fight back.
"We know that we're a streaky team and just had to regain our composure," Pacheco said. "We just had to take care of the ball on our side of the court."
Granbury won the first set after the Bobcats fought off four game points. The Lady Pirates took control when the game was tied 7-7 with a 15-7 run and finally got the clinching point on a double-hit by Nelson.
Nelson came back to knot the match by taking the second set. The Bobcats led by five points on three occasions, only to have Granbury battle back. The teams were tied for the last time at 21-21. Sophomore middle hitter Eva Koster had the game-winning kill.
"They made the adjustments on their side," Granbury coach Tammy Clark said, "and we started to play with a little less aggressiveness and more trying to keep the ball in play. That opened the door for them."
Nelson won the last two sets after each was tied 19-19. The Bobcats fought off another match point in the fourth set.
"We picked up our serving and were able to get a lot of kills in the middle," Nelson captain Rachel Fusselman said. "They couldn't stop our middle."
The Pirates (29-14) lost for only the second time in their last 16 matches.
"It was a great season," Clark said. "When you get to this level, it's point-for-point. Congratulations to Byron Nelson. They played a great match."
The playoff run is new territory for Nelson, which opened in 2009.
"We're enjoying this for the school," Pacheco said. "These girls know they have a chance to set the foundation for how the program is going to be in the future."