Halfway through the first set in their match with Bowie Monday night, the Laurel Lady Spartans had hung tough and looked to give the top-seeded Lady Bulldogs all the fight that they could handle.
But Bowie used extended scoring streaks in each set to take a straight-set 3-0 victory over Laurel, ending the Spartans' season in the 4A South volleyball quarterfinals.
Bowie opened the match with an early 4-1 lead in the first set. The teams traded points to give Bowie an 8-4 lead before sophomore Megan Brown served two aces in helping the Spartans score four straight to tie the first set at 8-8.
After Bowie took two points, the teams traded points. But up 16-14, Bowie scored the final nine points of the first set to win it 25-14.
The Lady Bulldogs, again, jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set, and eventually raced out to a 14-4 lead over Laurel. Junior Danielle Conway hit two aces as Laurel scored four straight to give Laurel some momentum and cut the lead to 14-8. But Bowie scored six straight to get back to a 12-point lead before the teams traded five points down the stretch and the Bulldogs took the second set 25-13.
In the third set, Bowie jumped out to a 6-1 lead. But after cutting Bowie's lead to 8-4, Laurel gave up 14 straight points to give the Lady Bulldogs a near-insurmountable 22-4 lead. Laurel managed two more points down, but Bowie won the third set 25-6.
"I was a little disappointed because I know we can play a whole lot better," said head coach Taren Gray. "Compared to other games, our teamwork wasn't as high. That's where we got beat."
Several times during the first two sets, the Lady Spartans were able to slow Bowie's streaks with spirited volleys that eventually forced the Lady Bulldogs into drops or out-of-bounds shots. Gray noted that such volleys were what helped Laurel win its first round matchup against Bladensburg Nov. 3.
"That's normal to see," she said. "I wanted more of that."
Sophomore Megan Brown credited Bowie with taking control of the match early.
"Our team was little out of it by the third set," she said. "The way they took the first and second sets threw us for a spin."
Brown said Laurel blocked better as a team against Bowie and noted that when the Lady Spartans worked together, they were able to end Bowie's streaks and start some momentum.
Gray said Bowie's teamwork helped them win and can help Laurel learn from the loss.
"I had been really looking forward to playing Bowie in the playoffs," she said. "Just the experience you can gain from going up against good competition. You can learn a lot."
In their first-round playoff game Thursday the Spartans dominated the Mustangs, thrashing them in straight sets, 25-13, 25-23, 25-12, to move on to Monday's quarterfinals.
Laurel will lose three seniors to graduation, but returns the rest of its lineup, including Brown.
"I have a good feeling about this team for next year," Brown said. "With some practice, we can be a real good team. We have a chance to go all the way."
Brown said she plans to work on her hitting and noted that if the team works on its passing in the off season, she has high hopes.
"We're losing three seniors, but I'm excited for next year," Gray said. "We have a lot of experience returning and that should give us a good foundation for next year."
Tim Schwartz contributed to this story.