Edmond Memorial rallies to take final two sets to grab Class 6A volleyball title
By Michael Kinney
NOBLE - Madelyn Onan admits a bit of fear crept in.
The Edmond Memorial senior saw the way her squad started the 6A state championship volleyball bout, and it was not what she had been used to seeing.
However, that trepidation soon disappeared and was replaced by sheer joy as the top-ranked Bulldogs knocked off the defending champion Jenks Trojans in five sets at Noble High.
“It was incredible. So exciting,” Onan said. “For a second, I was a little scared.
"But I feel like we really came out and we pushed ourselves and we played as a team.”
The championship is the Bulldogs' first since 2016 and the program’s sixth overall.
“It means everything because it's been a while since we've even been in the championship game, but these girls really deserve to be here,” Edmond Memorial coach Natalie Murray said.
“So, I'm happier for them than anything else because we have such a strong tradition at Memorial and this group is going to bring it back. I expect that we'll have really big success next year, too.”
Despite having no title game experience, the Bulldogs ran out to a 10-5 lead in the fifth and final set. Their aggressive play and mindset were too much for the Trojans to contain.
“I am so proud of them because especially in the fifth set, they were not scared at all,” Murray said. “We got blocked early in the fifth set and the girls just kept swinging. They weren't afraid of being blocked. They weren't afraid of the other team digging them.
"Our servers were serving so aggressively and going for aces every time, they weren't afraid to miss. And that's what it takes to win a championship. So, I'm so proud of them.”
Sybil Beadles came up with a pair of thunderous kills to get the Bulldogs to set point. But it was senior Chandler Lawrence who put the match away with a kill to the right side of the floor.
As soon as the ball hit the floor, Lawrence turned around and was swarmed by her Edmond Memorial teammates as they crumpled into a dogpile at mid-court.
“Maddie (Onan) was like, ‘Chandler, the ball's coming to you,’” Lawrence recalled. “And I was just ready.
"I was like, this is it. One point left, you just need to go out with a bang. I was so excited.”
On their way to the finale, Edmond Memorial (30-5) had to get past No. 8 Deer Creek (3-0) and No. 4 Norman North (3-1). But they knew the second-ranked Trojans (32-5), whom Memorial beat, 3-0, on Sept. 29, would be a different animal altogether.
“Jenks is such a strong program. They won state last year with only graduating two seniors,” Murray said. “So they had tons of experience and I knew our girls have never been to the state championship, not this group of girls.
"So, I didn't know if they would know how to behave or how to react.”
As expected, Jenks and Memorial battled back and forth during the early moments of the match. The first set was tied at 11-11 before the Trojans went on a 9-2 run.
Kynli Kirkendoll, Noelle Prideaux and Ellie Smith were sending back everything the Bulldogs tried to get over the net. When Memorial was able to get it past the front line, Caroline Wood and Kyndal Carolina hustled around the court keeping balls alive and in play.
The Trojans went on to take the first set, 25-16.
The Bulldogs were the more aggressive squad to start the second set, as they jumped out to a 15-11 advantage. Even after a couple of timeouts, the Trojans were unable to slow down Memorial’s momentum, as they increased their lead to 18-12.
However, JHS slowly crept back into the contest and closed the deficit to 23-20.
After a Memorial time out and another point for Jenks, Memorial’s Madison Hathaway hit a drop shot to get to set point. But Jenks scored the next three points to tie the set at 24-all.
Just when it looked like Jenks was going to snatch the set from the Bulldogs, they came back with two clutch points to win the set, 26-24, and tie the match.
The third set saw the two squads once again battle deep into the contest.
Prideaux came up with a spike to put Jenks up, 28-27. Then Brynn Roberts sent over a quick dink shot that got past the Memorial defenders to earn Jenks a 29-27 victory.
Jenks held a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth set and were one win away from the title.
Yet, with their backs up against wall, the Bulldogs took the fourth set, 25-19, to set up the title-deciding fifth set.
“It doesn't feel real,” Hathaway said. “It feels like a dream. After our last point during the fifth set, I couldn't believe that it was real.
"I can't describe it. I don't know how to describe it.”
