The Lady Bears traveled to Gainesville, Wednesday, Oct. 19th, to take on the Red Elephants of Gainesville High School, in a best of 5, for the opportunity to advance to the Elite 8 of the 6A State Tournament.
Cambridge came out of the gate slow, trading points back and forth, due primarily to errors on the Bears' part. But by the mid-point of the set, the girls found their rhythm and began to stretch a lead over Gainesville. Despite a yellow card toward the end of the set threatening to break their momentum, the Bears held it together to win the set, 25-19.
The second set was all Gainesville, with the ladies from the north delivering solid and consistent, if not inspiring, play. But solid and consistent was more than enough, against a Bears squad that couldn't establish their footing in the set until it was too late. Gainesville came away with a 25-19 win in the second.
Cambridge came out in the 3rd set on a mission; as if they had recognized they left their game in the locker room in the previous set. The Lady Bears were strong, both offensively and defensively, moving past the occasional misstep with a counter that regained control of the serve. Cambridge finished out this set decisively, 25-13.
The Lady Bears in the 4th, and what would prove to be final, set brought their A game. Throughout most of the set, Cambridge was the dominant team controlling the action. At one point, it appeared as though they might hold Gainesville to single digits. But Gainesville would have none of that, fighting back and slowly closing the sizable gap built by the Bears. But in the end, it was not enough, as Cambridge closed out this 4th, and final set, 25-15.
The Lady Bears 3-1 victory over Gainesville advances them to the tournament's Elite 8. The remaining 8 teams, of an original field of 32, will be reseeded. We will learn soon who our opponent will be, and the venue for Saturday's Elite 8 match. We hope for a strong showing from Bear's fans as the competition will only get tougher moving forward. We hope you can be there to cheer the Lady Bears on to victory!
Go Bears!