The Lady Wave discovered Wednesday it had an ace up its collective sleeve.
Fallon rode the consistent serving of Lorynn Fagg, who led both teams with seven aces, in its Northern 3A match against visiting Sparks, winning, 25-13, 25-12, 20-25 and 25-16.
Fallon, 5-1 overall and 3-6 in the Northern 3A, now awaits its longest trip of the season, playing at Spring Creek tonight and Elko on Saturday.
“It will be a tough road trip in order to go to regionals,” said Fallon coach Patty Daum. “We need to step up and win, or we will be watching regionals in our own gym.”
The coach said the team needs to be prepared for the two Elko County teams. Earlier in the season at Fallon, the Wave swept Spring Creek but lost to Elko.
Against the Railroaders (0-11, 0-9), Fagg came to the rescue in the fourth set when Sparks threatened to tie the match with the lead changing four times. Both teams had trouble with their forced errors, but Sparks kept the score close due to long returns from the Greenwave hitters.
The Railroader’s last tie came midway during the set when Caroline Aguilar Perez nailed a kill, but Fallon pulled away on two plays from Macie Anderson, a hit off the net that fell untouched on the Sparks side and a service ace.
The Lady Wave’s Elizabeth Williams, who played both in the middle and outside, gave Fallon a side out. The Wave and Railroaders went back and forth until Fagg stepped up to serve with Fallon leading 18-15.
Fagg recorded a pair of aces, while Karlee Hitchcock had a kill down the sideline, and the Railroaders had difficulty returning the ball over the net three times.
Daum said Fagg provided the consistency the Wave needed to end the night.
“Lorynn is my clutch person when we need points on the board,” Daum said of the Fallon junior. “She may come up with an error or two, but her serves are what keep us in the game. She also did a nice job on the back row tonight.”
Fagg said she was pleased with her game.
“I work on my serves in practice and placement,” she said. “I don’t have any pressure when serving. Last year I really worked on it (serving) to make varsity. My serving has improved.”
Shelbi Schultz served five aces and accounted for six points.
Fallon fell behind in the opening set, but the Wave tied the set at 4 on a service point from Fagg. After Fallon tied the score for a second time at 6 on a two-handed push, the Wave tallied the next four points on three consecutive aces from Shultz. Sparks also had several forced errors at the net.
Kala Taufa’ao had a key return for Sparks, a soft hit that fell between the first and second rows. The Wave, though, closed out the set on an 8-0 run on four service points from Fagg and Hitchcock’s kill, who led both teams with 10. Hitchcock also led Fallon with 24 assists.
Fallon and Sparks began the second set like the first with the lead alternating between the two teams. Perez recorded a kill for Sparks, and Anderson served a pair of aces to give the Wave an 8-4 lead.
As Fallon began to pull away, the Wave received good front-line play from Rylee Buckmaster and Williams, who had two kills and three aces from her serving. Jordan Beyer controlled the tempo from left outside.
Down the stretch, Fallon outscored the Railroaders 7-5. Taufa’ao had a block and Perez had a kill that fell inside the line.
Williams, though, capped the second set with a kill on game point.
Sparks surprised Fallon in the third set. The Wave never led although Fallon tied the score at 5 when Buckmaster’s hit fell inside. The Railroaders controlled the middle with Taufa’ao and Perez, and the visitors received their best consistency in serving. Fallon committed three self-inflicted errors, causing Sparks to lead by as many as six points.
The Railroaders Laree Murillo took advantage of Fallon’s miscommunication and recorded a kill between the first and second rows. Isabella Chacon had two service points.
Daum felt her team took Sparks for granted in the third set after easily handling the Railroaders in the first two games.
“We lost respect for our opponent, and when you do, you’ll get rocked,” she said. “The girls felt like they had the game won. After the third point, I knew we would be in a world of hurt. We weren’t ready for it.”
Daum, however, said Sparks improved during the final two sets.