JEWELL — Woodward-Granger rallied from a potentially momentum-setting deficit in the first set Monday en route to a 3-1 win over host South Hamilton. Ranked 11th in Class 2A, the host Hawks tied the match with a set two win, but the visiting Hawks tightened their play and pulled away for the victory.
W-G (23-10) advances to the Region 4 Semifinals Thursday at 7 p.m. They will face BCLUW (25-11), who stopped Belle Plaine (23-6) in three sets Monday. The game is scheduled to be played in Jewell.
Thursday’s winner will face either sixth-ranked Tri-Center or AC/GC Oct. 30 in Earlham for a spot in the state tournament.
South Hamilton (24-8) had opened a 20-12 lead in the first game and threatened to post a runaway win, keeping a large home crowd roaring and endangering any chances for W-G to pull the upset.
“It really wasn’t one single play, or one player doing something big,” W-G head coach Bailey Hunt said. “It was more of us just limiting our errors, hitting our spots and keeping the ball out of the net.”
“That first win was a big one, but I think they way we came back after they won the second game (a 25-19 South Hamilton win) really showed how tough we can be mentally,” she added. “We stayed calm, played the way we know we can, and came out with the win.”
W-G prevailed in a key third game, 25-21, then cemented the upset with a 25-15 triumph in the fourth game.
Individual statistics were not available from the contest.
