Lady Flames volleyball team claims three consecutive victories
The Lady Flames volleyball team is off and running for the 2023 season, welcoming opponents to the Hill City for its annual Liberty Tournament Aug. 25-26. Starting the season 3-0 and winning nine consecutive sets, Liberty defeated Bucknell, Gardner Webb and Stony Brook to claim the home tournament title.
After swift 3-0 victories over both Bucknell and Gardner-Webb, Liberty looked to cap off its opening weekend against Stony Brook for the conclusion of the tournament.
In the contest against Stony Brook, the Lady Flames won set one 25-21, followed up by victories in sets two and three with scores of 25-17 and 25-23.
Led by junior outside hitter Kate Phillips and junior middle blocker Madison Blane, Liberty was able to overcome Stony Brook’s aggressive serving, solid defense and powerful hitters such as Kali Moore (14 kills) and Ava Jackson (7 kills).
In set one, Phillips recorded four separate kills to take the lead for the Lady Flames as well as the set-winning point. She ended the game with 15 kills.
“It was a total team effort, the defense and setting were unbelievable,” Phillips said. “They were putting up dimes, so it made my job nice and easy.”
Standing at 6 foot, 2 inches, Blane also pitched in, making a crucial block to give Liberty a 9-8 lead. Blane owned the net Saturday, finishing the day with 12 kills and 7 blocks.
Set two was no different. With Phillips and Blane leading the offense, backed by a solid defense, the Lady Flames were able to take control of set two early on, never looking back. Senior outside hitter Kamryn Bacus had a key kill to take the lead early in set two, which Liberty never gave up.
Looking to close out the tournament undefeated, the Lady Flames entered set three with a 2-0 lead. Backed by its home crowd, Liberty had the momentum.
Despite the energy, Stony Brook came out firing on all cylinders, taking an early lead and maintaining it throughout the majority of the set. Liberty turned the tables, mustering up a late comeback in order to overcome a four-point deficit.
“We talked about having a next-play mentality,” Liberty Head Coach Trevor Johnson said. “In that third set especially, they battled through some adversity. They were super resilient and stuck together.”
With their win against Stony Brook, the Lady Flames finished their weekend undefeated. Coach Johnson stated that their early success this season is due to “a resilient team” led by “an upper- class team, that has been through the ringer … it’s a group of girls that just love playing volleyball and play for each other.”
Liberty’s success can be attributed to an outstanding hitting percentage of .291. Johnson gave credit to their setter Delaney Dilfer, a senior from Austin, Texas.
“Delaney Dilfer, she’s a game changer. When you have a setter that understands volleyball, you don’t have to tell her too much,” Johnson said. “She’s already thinking about the game.”
An essential part of the Lady Flames success on Saturday came from the energy brought by Flames fans.
“It’s been awesome,” Phillips said. “Our Flames fans have been going crazy, we have gotten a good turnout. They really have been giving us good energy when we’re tired and it’s been a long weekend. They really pulled through.”
Going forward, the Lady Flames look to continue their hot start on the road.
“The fact that we faced adversity in the third set was good for us to bounce back and fight through it,” Johnson said. “If it doesn’t challenge you, then it doesn’t change you.”
Liberty will be challenged in its coming games, facing off with High Point, Army and Yale at the Black Knights Invitational in West Point, New York.
Liberty will be on the road until Oct. 3, when they play Western Kentucky back at Liberty Arena in Lynchburg.
Bessire is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.