Fairfield rallies past Washington

FAIRFIELD — After one set at Fairfield High School on Tuesday night, the visiting Washington Demons threatened to upset the Trojans on their own senior night. Three sets later, the Trojans were celebrating a Southeast Conference win.

The Trojans dominated three-straight games to knock off Washington in four sets (21-25, 25-11, 25-15, 25-13), earning a big victory on senior night.

Washington looked hungry in the first set. After Fairfield took an early 3-1 lead, Washington clawed back to tie it at 7-7. It was last tied at 12-12, when Kenializ Espinoza sent down a kill that gave the Demons a one-point lead.

Washington would lead throughout the opening set. Ella Greiner had a fantastic set, tallying three kills and two aces, and the Demons led by as much as six points before finishing it off 25-21.

The Demons held a lead early in the second, but a pair of blocks by Rowan Terrell helped Fairfield grab the lead, and when they had it, they didn’t let up.

“It's just trust in our abilities and what we have,” said Fairfield co-coach Vicki Rebling. “There was never a doubt or hesitation that we were going to be in trouble after that first game.”

The Trojans ran away with the second set on a pair of long serve streaks, one orchestrated by Coty Engle and another by Terrell. Macy Rayburn had four kills in the 25-11 victory and sets were tied 1-1.

The third set was relatively close early on, but once again the Trojans pulled away. Maddie Jones sent her only kill of the night to the floor for a 25-15 victory.

Fairfield didn’t let up in the fourth set. Maggie Rayburn erupted for three kills and two blocks as the Trojans wrapped up a 25-13 win to close out the night.

“I think we all just realized we had to work together,” said Rayburn. “We just had to get past the rough spot.”

After the game, Trojan co-coach Stephanie Herman credited her team for staying up, and also the atmosphere in the building on senior night.

“The student section makes a difference,” Herman said. “They're passionate, and they care deeply for the girls on the floor. They get excited, and I think seeing your friends rooting you on, and just having your back and supporting the program, that helps build that trust and that confidence in themselves.”

It was Macy Rayburn who led the way in kills, tallying 13 by the end of the night. Maggie had seven to give the twins 20 combined. Lily Bergren and Addison Ferrel collected four each.

Maddie Jones dished out 20 assists for the Trojans. Kiya Robertson had 19 digs.

Washington has now lost its last four conference games after sweeping Burlington on the road to start the season. The Demons have taken at least one set in all four of those contests, falling in five sets to Keokuk and Mt. Pleasant, and four sets to Fort Madison and Fairfield.

Washington’s record going into the postseason sits at 4-18 overall and 1-4 in conference play. The Demons have dropped 11-straight.

The win moved Fairfield to 10-12 overall and 4-1 in conference play. The Trojans, along with Burlington, will be in the Top-2 seeds at the SEC’s round-robin tournament, which takes place on Oct. 4 and Oct. 11.

“We've got to continue to home in on our fundamentals, and our communications at practice,” said Rebling. “Having two different nights for the conference tournament, if you have one bad night, unfortunately it could be detrimental for all.“