by Chris Pfaff, Xavier Sportswriter

The highly-anticipated showdown between #1 Xavier and #2 Corona del Sol became reality on Thursday, October 17, in the Gator Swamp. Xavier won 3-1 (25-21, 25-17, 20-25, 25-20), remaining undefeated in conference play and maintaining their #1 State 6A ranking. Corona fell to #3 behind Sandra Day O’Connor.

For Stat Lovers:

• Xavier won the kills battle 67-49
• The Queen of Kills, Tessa Larkin, continued her power show with 27 kills. Setter/Hitter Vivian Hickman had 15
• The top three Xavier hitters go Sophomore – Junior – Frosh (Amari Frazier). What does that say about the future of Gator volleyball?
• Two seniors demonstrated their blocking prowess: Elle McCreery (5) and Annemarie O’Gara (4). Fun to watch.
• Taking on incoming missiles all night were Mattea Saunders (36 digs) and Larkin (21 digs). Saunders handled 43 serve-receives without an error.
• Setter/Hitter Hickman, second in kills, tied for the most Xavier assists (25) with setter Selah O’Connor.

SET 1
Corona jumped out to an 11-7 lead in the first set; however, after senior Olivia Lentz finished her serving stint, Xavier Nation’s angst dissipated with a new reality: Xavier by four.

Check it out:

Unable to get closer than two points, Corona never recovered from the Gator eight-point onslaught. Xavier wins first set 25-21.

SET 2
In the second set, Xavier gradually increased their lead throughout the game, peaking with an eight-point victory. With the score tied at eight, Xavier began to assert their dominance with a prophetic three-point streak and a three-point lead, 11-8.

• Soon, they were up by four: 14-10
• Four points became six points: 19-13
• Followed by seven: 21-14
• Finishing at eight: 25-17

SET 3
The third set produced another story all its own. Corona jumped out to an 11-4 lead. But a six-point run by Xavier — Vivian Hickman serving — returned hope and confidence to a subdued Gator nation.

Check it out:

Alas, the Aztecs fought back with a six-point run of their own, and Xavier never recovered. Corona 25-20.

SET 4

In the fourth set, with the score 10-11 and having lost the third set, the feeling (at least for me) was, “Oh, no”. However, another Xavier six-point run — Tessa Larkin serving — reformed the anxious atmosphere that had begun to invade Xavier’s Activity Center.

Check it out:

From one point down to up by five, 16-11: Gator hope revived. The Gators maintain their stronghold and win by five, 25-20.

Rapid-Fire Highlight Reel of Xavier Kills, Digs, Blocks, and one Service Ace

If it moves to fast for you, change the speed to 75%.