Bishop England rallies for 18th straight state championship

Bishop England prides itself on its longstanding tradition. Imagine, then, the pressure of feeling the school’s most coveted championship streak, a national record, slipping away. The Bishops had it written on their hands in black ink. Their right hands read 18, a preemptive addition to a historic run. Their left hands read 28, foreshadowing the latest trophy in a case that’s long been overfilled. The scoreboard, though, read 0-2 as the Bishops stared down an unfamiliar deficit. “Panic starts to set in,” Bishop England coach Cindy Baggott said. “They knew what was on the line. We tried to keep them calm and be as positive and encouraging as possible. But you’re thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, is this really happening?’ “Finally, they kind of eased up a little. They just relaxed and said, ‘We can do this.’” Bishop England rallied from a two-set deficit to overcome Powdersville, 3-2, in the AAA volleyball state championship Saturday in Chapin. The Bishops collect their 18th straight state championship, 11th under Baggott and 28th in all. “The best feeling in the world,” Bishops senior Anna Warren said. “We wanted it so bad. We never gave up.” The Bishops hadn’t dropped a set at state since 2011. They’d conceded just two in their past 17 state championship appearances combined. A blend of shock and anticipation flowed through the capacity crowd as Powdersville built an inconceivable two-set advantage. “It seemed like everything went their way and nothing went ours,” Baggott said. “A lot of it was unforced errors they were able to capitalize on. We scored some points but never really got the offense rolling." Powdersville led 18-11 in the opening set. Bishop England closed the gap to 21-19 before Powdersville closed with wins in the four of the final five games in a 25-20 win. The Patriots built a 20-15 lead in the second set before the Bishops pulled even at 21. Bishop England failed to capitalize on three shots at game point, leaving opportunity for Powdersville to seize a 29-27 win with an ace from Alexis Albright that landed just inside the Bishops’ sideline. “I think had it been any other regular-season match, behind two sets, they probably would’ve just quit," Baggott said. "But the fact that it was the state championship and the streak was on the line, I think that was a huge motivator.” The Powdersville crowd in attendance crashed down on Bishop England, hopeful to see the giant fall. The Bishops’ faithful recruited help from the Pickens student section to answer back. Baggott rallied her bench for support. If this was to be the end, the Bishops weren’t going away quietly. “It only motivated us,” Warren said of the championship atmosphere. “We got together and talked about how the nerves were gone now. We just needed to play like we always play and take advantage of our power.” Bishop England senior Gwen Conway had carried the Bishops’ offense through the first two sets — just long enough for Warren, the AAA state leader in kills, to come alive. The Bishops put together runs of six straight games and seven of eight to lead 20-14 in the third. The Patriots climbed within 23-20. But the Bishops finished off a 25-22 win with a block from Hannah Burns and an errant return by the Patriots. “Anna showed up and started putting some balls away, showing what she’s capable of,” Baggott said. “Once she found her confidence, Gwen was already there I think, and the two of them took over. “You could kind of feel the shift. It was like, ‘Where’s this coming from?’” Powederville held a 10-7 lead in the fourth set before Bishop England reeled off wins in 13 of the next 16 games. Bishop England won the set 25-17 and had seemingly regained the championship moxy of the state’s winningest program. “Finish the job,” Baggott told her team entering the fifth set. “Finish what we came here to do.” Warren ripped off four early kills as Bishop England opened the fifth set on a 6-1 run. She soon pounded two more as Powdersville tried desperately to answer. Conway then finished things with consecutive kills in a decisive 15-9 win. The streak lives on. Warren finished with 22 kills, while Conway added 17 and Madeline White turned in 12. Emma Meredith scooped 31 digs, and Warren and Conway both added 17. Kelsey Stieby set up 55 assists. The Bishops missed just one of their 110 total serves. Baggott stood back almost in awe as she watched her team celebrate in their traditional midcourt dogpile after the match. She'd won state championships as both a player and a coach. None of them, though, ever came quite like this. “In all my years of going to state championships, I’ve never been involved in a match like that,” Baggott said. “We didn’t crumble. We didn’t quit. We fought back like state champions. That’s so much sweeter.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Bishop England High School Athletics

BISHOP ENGLAND RALLIES FOR 18TH STRAIGHT STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

FRANKIE MANSFIELD

Moultrie News | 11/6/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Moultrie News