If the Glenelg volleyball players weren't believers in the adage that it's tough to beat any team three times in one season, they likely are now.
Playing a Centennial team they had handled in two previous matchups this season, the second-ranked Gladiators were pushed hard yesterday before closing out the ninth-ranked and host Eagles in four entertaining games to win their second straight Class 2A West regional championship.
The 15-6, 11-15, 15-7, 17-15 victory, assured on Sarah Tursell's cross-court kill on game and match point, sent the Gladiators (18-0) to the state semifinals, where they will play J.M. Bennett, a 15-8, 9-15, 15-9, 15-5 winner over Parkside in yesterday's 2A East title match.
The match is at 6 p.m. Wednesday at CCBC-Essex.
"We knew Centennial was going to give it all they got. They didn't want this to be there last game," said Gladiators junior Michelle Morgan, who finished the match with nine kills, 16 digs, and was 19-for-19 on serves. "It was about heart and who wanted it more."
The Eagles (12-5) had their chances to pull off what would have been a huge upset.
They squandered an early lead in Game 1, and after taking their first game off Glenelg this season in Game 2, the Eagles had a game point to send the match to a decisive fifth game.
"The biggest thing we did was limit our errors," Eagles coach Mike Bossom said.
What the Eagles lacked in height, they made up for with defense. They got 10 kills from senior Kate Feldmann and eight from junior Erika Swan, but they didn't have an answer for Tursell during crucial stretches.
The 6-foot-1 senior, who finished the match with 19 kills and five blocks, took over in Game 3. Two Tursell blocks and three kills gave the Gladiators an 11-5 edge, before another Tursell block sealed the game.
"Knowing we can lose and come back really helped us," said Glenelg junior Kelly Hollrah.
In Game 4, Glenelg led 8-4, before the Eagles answered to take a 12-10 lead on Oye Imoisili's kill. The Gladiators then took a 14-12 advantage, only to see Centennial tie it at 14.
An Imoisili block on Adrienne McGill gave the Eagles a game point, but Feldmann's serve caught the top of the net. Two straight Centennial errors gave Glenelg a 16-15 lead, and with the vocal crowd on its feet, the two teams traded side outs before Tursell tapped a Tara Stradling set just inside the line.
"We're not overly confident," Morgan said. "We're at a point where we know if we play our best, it's going to be hard for a lot of teams to beat us."