There may not be much separating the Boyd-Buchanan and Grace Academy volleyball teams in District 5-A/AA this season, but the difference when the teams met Tuesday came at the end of each game.

Both Boyd-Buchanan and the host Lady Golden Eagles recovered from several big deficits and lost a few sizable leads, but the visitors’ late runs helped them close out a 3-0 win over their rivals.

“Particularly in the first two games, we just made a big push at the end and finished it,” Boyd-Buchanan coach Kristi Lenoir said.

The Lady Bucs used five aces to build a 12-3 lead in game one of the rematch of last year’s district and region finals, but Grace got back in it with an 8-0 run. The Lady Eagles held the lead at 19-18, but Boyd-Buchanan’s Rachel Harper had two kills in a 4-0 run that helped her team take the first game 25-20.

Grace took control early in the second game, as three kills and an ace from Kaylan Dilts brought the Lady Eagles to a 12-4 advantage. The Lady Bucs chipped away at their deficit and took the lead at 18-17 on an Ashley Hixson ace.

Another Dilts ace put Grace up 19-18, but it proved to be the Lady Eagles’ last point of the game. A kill from Harper again capped a Lady Bucs win, this time at 25-19 after a 7-0 run.

“They finished the games,” Lady Eagles coach Shana Ivarson said. “We were up and down, and with a team like Boyd-Buchanan, you can’t do that. They’re very strong, and consistency will make the difference.”

The evenly matched teams kept game three close throughout until back-to-back kills from Breejante Williams put the Lady Bucs ahead 22-19, and two kills from Stephanie Silvers helped them secure the 25-21 victory.

“I feel like we stayed steady the whole match, no matter if we were up or down,” Lenoir said. “We kept pushing, a point at a time.”

Harper finished with 14 kills and 25 digs for the Lady Bucs (12-6, 6-0), while Silvers had 11 kills with 18 digs. Williams had 10 kills and six blocks, and Shelby May made 26 assists and 10 digs and had five of the team’s 13 aces.

“They had some great serves, and our serve reception was not as strong as it should be,” Ivarson said. “They really beat us with their serving today.”

With District 5-A/AA split into divisions for this season, with Grace playing in the East and Boyd-Buchanan in the West, the teams would have to reach the title match in order to meet again, but both believe another postseason matchup could be in store.

“This was big,” Lenoir said. “They’ve been our archrivals for the past several years, so this was a good one to win.”

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