Fairbanks earns first district title in against Worthington Christian

A 26-year long drought led to Fairbanks’ volleyball team taking first place in the Central District Division III tournament over the weekend.

 “We were definitely a little nervous and came out a little flat,” Fairbanks’ Head Coach Ryanne Ufferman said post-match. “We did make errors and struggled to let go of error because we wanted it so bad.”

Fairbanks junior Grace Gorton leaps up for a spike against the Lady Warriors from Worthington Christian. The Lady Panther recorded a team-high 14 kills and eight digs in the team’s win.

 After running into an ample Worthington Christian unit, the Lady Panthers seized the opportunity to come together as a team while overcoming several self-inflicted wounds early on the contest.

 “We talked a little bit about having confidence instead of having to fight for it,” Ufferman shared.

 Senior outside hitter and middle blocker Sophie Little helped Fairbanks get a 3-3 tie after falling behind to the Lady Warriors in the first set of action. The back and forth continued after Fairbanks tied Worthington Christian again this time at the 9-9 mark.

 After finding their rhythm, the Lady Panthers surpassed the Lady Warriors 13-9 forcing their opponents to take a timeout to calm Fairbanks’ offensive surge.

 An offensive point by little followed by a block by Caydee Breneman put the Lady Panthers ahead this time at 20-14.

 A kill by Grace Gorton and a duo block by Aubrey Burns and Claire Baker cemented the first set victory for the Lady Panthers, 25-18, as the team looked to continue its momentum.

 However, Worthington Christian retaliated in the second set take an early 8-5 lead over Fairbanks to start things off.

 “I just told them to let go of their nervousness,” Ufferman said. “We only have two seniors on this team so there are a lot of youngins we are pulling along the way.”

 The Lady Panthers eventually took the lead in period, increasing the distance after a spike by Breneman put the score at 14-11.

 The Lady Panthers held onto the lead eventually taking the second set 25-16 as they looked to make the trip to MVNU a quick one.

 Fairbanks’ spikers stayed vigilant in the third set producing an 8-1 initial lead.

 Down the line moments later, the Lady Panthers continued to pummel the Lady Warriors offensively notching a 13-3 lead prior to Worthington Christian calling a timeout to quell a fiery Fairbanks attack.

 However, the Lady Warriors could not keep calm the rapid tide as Fairbanks claimed the Central District Title in the third set, 25-16, with a clean sweep.

 The title marks the first in nearly 26 years — since 1996 — that Fairbanks has won a district title in volleyball.

 “I think the greatest thing about this team is that in every practice they’re really working to get better individually and as a team,” Ufferman said. “That is such a great thing during this time of the year.”

 Both Little and Gorton shared that what got them the win Saturday evening was the team trusting one another as they came together as a team.

 “I thought we came out strong,” Little said. “I think we were able to come together as a team and get out of it.”

Fairbanks senior Sophie Little serves a hard spike toward Worthington Christian’s side of the court during the District Final last Saturday. The middle blocker and outside hitter record 12 kills and eight digs.

 “We fell behind in servicing again, but it was a lot better than our previous match,” Gorton commented. “I thought we played together a lot better than we did pretty much all season.”

 Gorton led the team in kills with 14 on the evening while Little followed up with 12 of her own.

 Per her usual outing, sophomore Allie Boyd recorded 32 assists in the team’s sweep over Worthington Chrisitian.

 Junior Reese Poling notched 14 digs during the match with Little, Gorton and Boyd tying with eight digs.

 Sophomore Clair Baker and Breneman tied for the most blocks with four.

 The Lady Panthers are slated to compete against Galion this Thursday, Nov. 3, at Lake High School located in Millbury with the match starting at 6 p.m.

Fairbanks Volleyball Stats:

Kills: Allie Boyd 1, Caydee Breneman 9, Aubrey Burns 2, Grace Gorton 14, Sophie Little 12.

Digs: Claire Baker 1, Allie Boyd 8, Caydee Breneman 2, Aubrey Burns 3, Grace Gorton 8, Sophie Little 8, Anna Lynch 6, Reese Poling 14.

Assists: Allie Boyd 32, Aubrey Burns 1, Sophie Little 1, Anna Lynch 1, Reese Poling 2.

Aces: Claire Baker 1, Grace Gorton 1, Sophie Little 1, Reese Poling 2.