BREVARD, N.C. - Down 2-0 to Tusculum and trailing 24-23 in the third set, the situation looked bleak for the Brevard volleyball team.
But the Tornados (5-8, 4-5 SAC) pulled off a comeback for the ages, resurrecting from the brink of elimination to win three consecutive sets and earn their third straight victory in South Atlantic Conference play.
Tusculum (6-6, 4-5 SAC) was seeking a sweep late in the third set. The Pioneers responded to a Michael Robinson timeout by scoring four straight points to turn a 20-17 deficit into a one-point advantage and appeared to have momentum, and the match, well in hand. Brevard's Anna Wagner countered with another timeout, and the teams traded points until Tusculum's lead stood at 24-23 with the Pioneers seeking the sweep.
Kindle Kirkham, however, had other plans. The senior from Sheridan, Wyoming sprung the Tornados into the lead with consecutive kills to make the score 25-24. Following another Pioneers' timeout, libero Aleksandra Vrvilo stepped back and calmly served an ace to give Brevard a dramatic victory in a set that saw nine ties and three lead changes.
Brevard then rode its wave of momentum to a convincing 25-18 fourth-set victory on the strength of a match-high .239 hitting percentage with 18 kills. Senior Fatima Gharachorloo, Brevard's NCAA-era kills leader, came alive in the frame, totaling eight kills, five digs, an ace, and a solo block to help the Tornados force a decisive set. The Pioneers had no answer for the Brevard offense in the fourth set despite totaling 13.0 team blocks and outhitting the Tornados by 20 percentage points in the match.
The Tornados got off to an inauspicious start to the final frame, falling behind 4-1 after an error, two kills, and a Tusculum block. The Tornados slowly climbed back into contention, taking their first lead of the match on a Hannah Elmore kill that made the score 10-9. After Gharachorloo's second ace of the match doubled the lead, Tusculum was forced to take a timeout.
The Pioneers came back to tie the score at 12 and 13 as the pressure and tension mounted. A Tusculum attack error gave the Tornados match point, a situation they had faced almost an hour earlier. Kristen Rathbun took the serve and the Pioneers first attack attempt was turned away by the block.
Tusculum mounted one final attack, but Gharachorloo and Savannah Cox were up to the task. With the improbable win in sight, the pair rose up and turned away Kaily Weiss's attempt to set off a wild celebration on the Tornados' bench.
Brevard saw Gharachorloo, Kirkham, Rachel Ruble, and Elmore finish with double figures in kills. Five Tornados had at least 16 digs, led by Aleksandra Vrvilo's 33-dig effort. The Tornados surpassed 100 digs for the second time this season, finishing third in the team's NCAA-era record book with 113 digs that came within five of tying the Brevard record.
Four players tallied at least two blocks, while Erin Barr compiled 49 of the team's 56 assists. Brevard also finished with 10 service aces, its highest total since a November 2, 2013 match at Newberry.
Brevard must wait until Friday to put its three-match winning streak on the line when the Tornados travel to Charlotte to take on Queens. First serve is slated for 7:00 p.m.
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Featured image courtesy of Shawn Millsaps. Click here to view more images by Shawn.
