GRAPEVINE — The Patriots varsity team learned just how elusive the homeschool state championship can be on Saturday, falling to the DasCHE Spartans, 25-16, 25-16, in the title match at the Dallas Angels Classic.
FEAST (34-3) struggled to defend a pretty powerful arsenal of Spartan hitters, who unlike any opponent the Patriots had seen this year, could attach from any spot on the net.
“That is a good team, and they were well-prepared for us,” head coach Doug Johnson said. “They knew exactly how to attack us. We will be better prepared for them by nationals.”
The match started out with the two heavyweights trading punches. The two combatants were tied up at 6 in the first set when the Spartants made a seemingly inconsequential 4-1 run. However, that run put the Spartans on top for good, as they continued to stretch their lead throughout the remainder of the set.
While the final score was the same, the second set was a little more lopsided in favor of DasCHE. The Spartans gathered an early lead at 3-2 and never surrendered it. The Patriots tried to stage several comeback runs, but each time the effort was broken up by the victors.
The Patriots cruised through the early rounds of the tournament to set up the showdown with the Spartans in the final. As the top seed from Pool D, FEAST faced the Texas Home Educators Sports Association (THESA) in its quarterfinal match and easily dispatched the Riders, 25-14, 25-13.
That set up a semifinal matchup with the Northern Oklahoma Area Homeschoolers (NOAH). Still stinging from a season-ending loss to the Jaguars a year ago, the Patriots controlled the match from start to finish. Lauren Crismore’s 8 kills and .416 hitting percentage led FEAST to a 25-19, 25-19 win.
Crismore tallied a lofty 42 kills throughout the six-game tourney, tops among the Patriots.
Bekah Wilks set up 118 kills over the weekend, bringing her career assist total to 1,997. She will likely surpass the 2000-assist career milestone in the Patriots’ next outing at Bracken High School on Oct. 11.
JV finishes fifth in state
The Patriots JV team also enjoyed a winning run through the Dallas Angels Classic, ultimately finishing fifth overall in the field of 26 teams. The squad marched through pool play and gold bracket competition before dropping a two-point heartbreaker in the quarterfinals to FBCHA.
FEAST (15-12-1) began the day squaring off against THESA’s JV Black team, an opponent the Patriots won a three-set match just three weeks ago. A similar result ensued on Saturday after the Patriots took the first set, 25-21, and dropped the next 13-25. They rallied in the last set to take a 15-10 victory from the Riders.
That pushed FEAST into the quarterfinal match against FBCHA, played immediately following the exciting three-set win. The Patriots took the first set of that match, too, 25-17, but allowed the opponent to rally for a 25-14 second-set win. The decisive set was an exciting back-and-forth battle, and the Patriots actually had one opportunity to serve for the match victory before the Eagles rallied for three straight points and the win.
In the fifth-place match, FEAST strolled to a 25-14, 25-22 conquest of Houston Homeschool Athletics.
The Patriots will see three of the four teams that finished ahead of them when they all reunite in Kansas City for the National Christian Homeschool Volleyball Championship (NCHVC) on Oct. 21.
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