Trojans tripped up by Tipton

FAIRFIELD — An emotional season for the Fairfield volleyball team came to an untimely end on Monday night, as the Trojans struggled to close out games against a tough Tipton squad in the Class 3A Region 8 tournament.

After a tough first set, Fairfield battled to the brink in the second and third, but the Trojans were unable to win any in a three-set loss. Tipton walked out of Fairfield High School winners 25-14, 25-13 and 26-24.

“We progressively got better set after set,” said Fairfield head coach Vicki Rebling. “We just ran out of time.”

Indeed, things looked bleak after the opening set, as a 6-4 Trojan lead quickly flipped on a 9-0 Tipton run that put the Tigers up 13-6. Fairfield had to pick itself up off the floor after a 25-14 loss that saw all momentum shift to Tipon early.

Fairfield was determined to make the second set look a little different, and that’s just what they did. The Trojans led throughout the majority of the set, taking as much as a four-point advantage when Lily Bergren sent down a block that brought the Trojans’ lead to 19-15.

Tipton, however, scored the next five points of the game, leading 20-19 before a Rowan Terrell kill knotted things up at 20-20., but Fairfield lost five of the next eight points.

Fairfield’s Macy Rayburn erupted in the third, tallying a couple of key points and a big block in the Trojans’ first 18 points. That led Fairfield to an 18-17 lead, although Fairfield had led by four points earlier in the set.

At one point, Fairfield led 24-21 when Terrell got it to set point with an ace, but the Trojans didn’t score another point for the rest of the night.

Down 25-24, Fairfield returned a serve into the net. Setter Maddie Jones dove on the floor to try and keep it alive, but the ball trickled out of reach, and Tipton had escaped with set three, meaning the Trojans’ season was over.

“It has been such a pleasure to coach these strong young women, and see how they've grown throughout the entire year,” said Trojan co-coach Stephanie Herman. “It's really a testament to what we've tried to accomplish and create together.”

Addison Ferrel finished the night with five kills. Macy Rayburn and Maggie Rayburn had two and one respectively, and Bergren finished with one of her own.

Coty Engle’s 19 digs led the team. Kiya Robertson finished with 13, and Bergren had 12. Maddie Jones paced the team with 10 assists.

Fairfield ended the regular season 17-17. The Trojans made big splashes in their first season with co-coaches Rebling and Herman, going 8-2 in Southeast Conference games and won the conference tournament for the first time in four years. Fairfield will lose nine of its 15 varsity players to graduation.

“We had a great season,” said Rebling. “We had a great coaching staff, and the girls bought into our plan that we set out. We knew change is difficult, but they stayed with us.”