Imagine a team starting the season with just eight players! Imagine one-half of that squad being new freshmen! Imagine that the expectations were good but not that high! Imagine that the team had to win two matches in one day to have any chance of advancing to a national championship match! Now imagine that same team playing in the USCAA National Volleyball Championship---the improbable is now a reality.

Kent State Tuscarawas defeated the host school and Pool 'B' champions Penn State Fayette in the afternoon to make to become the first-ever Golden Eagles team to play for the national title. But to get there, they had to take care of some early morning business against a hungry-for-a-win Central Maine team to even get to the semifinal round.

It was a rough start for the Golden Eagles coming off and emotionally draining five-set loss the No. 1 seed Penn State Mont Alto the night before. That loss took the legs right out from under the Eagles and it showed in the early moments of the match against the CMCC Mustangs.

KSU Tusc trailed 10-9 before finally wrestling control of the opening set and crept their way to a very average looking 25-18 victory. In the second stanza, the Eagles took a commanding 14-5 lead which swelled to 20-9 as they took a 2-0 match lead with a 25-12 win.

The third set was much more of the same as they sprinted to a 20-9 lead while winning 25-10 to finish as runners up in Pool 'A' to grab a spot in the semifinal round.

Winning has a way of rewarding you with much bigger challenges and the three-set victory over the Mustangs sent Kent Tusc into a 4:30 p.m. match versus a PSU Fayette squad that was on a hot streak. The Eagles couldn't just rest on their laurels having beaten the Roaring Lions 3-0 in the USCAA Tip-Off to start the season.

With a partisan crowd cheering on PSF, it was the Golden Eagles who took charge first by grabbing a 4-1 lead. The set featured 13 ties and the largest lead by either team was just two points. The final deadlock came at 25-25 after a Cayla Shrimplin serving ace, but the Lions scored the final two points of the set to win 27-25.

Down a set to the Lions, the second set lead see-sawed back and forth and with the score 20-20, KSU Tusc's Nicole Simons served up three straight winners for a 23-20 advantage. The teams traded points before Lizzy Keller capped off a match tying win at the service line for a 25-22 Eagles win.

PSF controlled the third set as the Eagles played from behind holding the lead only once at 2-1, even though they never trailed by more than four points until the final score of 25-20. The Lions held a 2-1 set lead and put KSU Tusc on the ropes.

It felt as if the Lions faithful were waiting for a knockout punch in the fourth set as they took a 5-1 lead over the Golden Eagles. But with the score knotted at 10-10, Addison Gordon aced Fayette twice and spotted the navy and gold to a 12-10 lead---one that they would never relinquish. They went on to lead by as many as five points on two occasions (19-14 & 21-16) and closed out the set with a 25-20 win to tie the match 2-2.

It was anybody's guess as to what the deciding fifth set would bring. The Eagles grabbed a quick 3-1 lead and seemed to take the boisterous Lions fans out of the match, but the Lions drew to 3-2 to electrify the gym. KSU Tusc seemed to feed off the crowd as well and increased their lead to 7-3. They were nearly halfway home to a victory, but good teams always respond.

And respond the Lions did as they roared back to within 8-6. The uprising didn't last long and with the score in favor of the Golden Eagles at 9-6, Keller toed the service line and served up five points thanks in part to her teammates who survived several rallies with kills by Gordon, Alivia Spauling and Makenzie Ailes to spark KSU to a 14-6 lead putting Fayette one point away from eviction.

Fayette responded with four points of their own to close to within 14-10. The tenth point coming on an official's conference after the Eagles thought they had won the match on a kill near the sideline right in front of the up officials stand. The ball clearly angled off the hands of a Lions player and fell out of bounds, but the point was awarded to PSF after it was determined the ball was hit out by the Eagles.

A timeout was called for by the Eagles and Keller was very calm but direct to her teammates in the huddle. She reminded everyone that "it's just one point", which could have meant the Eagles were one point away from the national championship, or the wrong way point really didn't hurt the Eagles much.

Out of the timeout, the teams rallied again before a kill by Alivia Spaulding that opened the door to the possible and a National Championship match against Penn State Mont Alto on Saturday at 4:00 pm. The Golden Eagles are now 17-4 on the season and look to win the rubber game of the season series with the Lions. Each team won in five sets over the other this season.

Lizzy Keller and Cayla Shrimplin celebrate the PSF victory.

The Golden Eagles release the pent up emotions of a long day.

Taliyah Johnson drives a kill through a block by Central Maine players.

Alivia Spaulding tips a ball past a Fayette blocker.

(Photos by Rob Brindley)

KSU Tuscarawas Stat Leaders –

Lizzy Keller - 28 digs, 11 kills

Cayla Shrimplin - 28 digs, 4 service aces

Makenzie Ailes - 10 kills, 14 digs

Kylie Culbertson - 40 assists, 17 digs

Taliyah Johnson - 15 kills, 7 blocks

Addison Gordon - 20 digs

Alivia Spaulding - 8 kills