Norman North knocked off Class 5A No. 1 Bishop McGuinness in five sets Tuesday, Oct. 6, heading into the OSSAA volleyball playoffs with momentum.
The Timberwolves dropped the first set, then won two straight by a combined six points to take a 2-1 lead, as reported by the Norman Transcript. The Fighting Irish answered with a dominant 25-12 fourth set, forcing a winner-take-all fifth.
Norman North left no doubt in the decider.
The Timberwolves jumped out to a 6-1 lead and closed the set 15-4. Senior Jules Stuart delivered two aces from the service line in the fifth set.
Head coach Kelly Files, a former longtime OU volleyball assistant in her first year leading the Timberwolves, said the resilience stood out after a grueling stretch. Norman North had played four matches the night before, logging nine sets and a win before turning around for the five-set battle against Bishop McGuinness.
"Losing that first set and then coming back and starting strong enough was unbelievable," Files told the Norman Transcript.
Files also pointed to serving as a key area for improvement. She said the team lost the opening set in part because it wasn't aggressive enough from the service line and needed to pass better.
Norman North enters the postseason at 12-13. The program went 6-23 the season before Files took over. She opened her tenure with a four-set win over Mustang on Aug. 12.
Files said once the postseason begins, anything can happen, and her team is focused on continuing to improve.
