It didn't look like it at times during last night's Class 3A state volleyball semifinal at CCBC-Essex, but Mount Hebron's surprise season will live a little longer.
The fourth-ranked Vikings survived a loss in Game 1, three game points in Game 2, and an eight-point deficit in Game 4 to edge No. 8 Liberty and advance to the state final.
With the 12-15, 18-16, 15-7, 15-13 victory, the Vikings (16-3) will play Patuxent, looking for an exclamation point on a sterling follow-up to last year's frustrating 3-12 campaign.
The final will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at CCBC-Catonsville.
"They have this thing at Hebron, where the last fall team practicing is the winner, and we're the winner this year," said a relieved Mount Hebron coach Michael Moynihan, whose team was led by sophomore Connie Pikounis' 17 kills, 12 blocks and seven aces.
Despite a solid effort, the Lions saw their season end at 14-4.
Said Liberty coach David Trumbo: "That's not a moral victory. Plain and simple, we were here to win, and we expected to win."
Mount Hebron, which looked tentative throughout, actually led 8-1 in Game 1 before the Lions roared back to take the game on a block by sophomore Meghan McConville (13 kills and six blocks).
It was 8-2 in favor of the Vikings in Game 2, when Liberty eventually took a 10-9 lead.
The teams traded points before a net violation on the Vikings gave the Lions their first game point. The Vikings erased it with a sideout and tied the game at 14 on a kill by junior Stacey Carroll (39 assists, 35 digs).
A kill by Liberty's Stacey Krebs gave the Lions a 15-14 lead, but the Vikings drew even again thanks to a spike by senior Audrey Damrongsri (14 kills, 20 digs).
Later, the Lions missed out on another game point at 16-15, which was earned on a kill by senior Laura Shand (42 assists, five blocks).
That loomed large when Damrongsri tied it with an ace and Pikounis scored on a kill and a block to end a thrilling Game 2.
"I was looking for the paramedic with the shock paddles," Moynihan joked. "That was a little tense."
Showing their resiliency, the Lions raced to a 12-4 lead in Game 4 before Pikounis took over. She had two straight aces to make it 12-6, and after Damrongsri and Carly Young had kills, Pikounis fired two more service winners, which were followed by a Kristin Schields' kills, making it 12-11.
"I just concentrated on serving it into the court," said Pikounis of her seven straight service points.
Two more aces and a Lions error eventually gave Mount Hebron a game point, which they converted on Pikounis' kill.
"At the beginning of the year, we were like, 'States, here we come,' " Carroll said. "We were joking around, but now we are actually here. It's like, oh my God."