Callaway volleyball team headed to state

Published 3:25 am Tuesday, October 8, 2019

They’re state-bound.

The Callaway Cavaliers finished third in the area volleyball tournament on Saturday, and that guaranteed them a spot in the Class A/AA state playoffs next week.

Callaway hosted the area tournament, and it began the day with a thrilling win over Jordan that went the full three sets.

Callaway dropped its next two matches to Central High and Lamar County, but the win over Jordan secured the state berth.

After winning the first set against Jordan 25-19, Callaway dropped the second set 25-21 after leading 21-19.

That set up a winner-take-all third set, and it was a tight one.

Jordan led 14-13 and had match point, but Callaway rallied to win the next three points to take the 16-14 win.

Abby Hammock came up big in the final set with a handful of kills, and the Cavaliers did a terrific job of keeping the ball in play.

The biggest point of the match came with Callaway trailing 14-13.

In a rally that lasted nearly two minutes, Hammock made a block at the net to give Callaway the point and keep the match going.

Callaway then won the next points to win the set and secure the hard-earned victory.

Callaway will play in the first round of the state tournament on Oct. 19.