Faith Lutheran captured the Class 5A Southern Region championship Saturday at Legacy High School, defeating Bishop Gorman 25-13, 26-24, 19-25, 25-20. The victory snapped the Gaels' streak of nearly four years without a loss to a Nevada school, dating back to a state semifinal defeat against Reno High on Nov. 11, 2022.
Both teams entered the match having already clinched berths in the 5A state tournament, which begins Thursday at UNR's Virginia Street Gym. Faith Lutheran, the Mountain League champion and the South's No. 1 seed, will face Carson at 7 p.m. Gorman, the Desert League champion and No. 2 seed, meets Northern champion Bishop Manogue at 5:20 p.m.
The Crusaders avenged a semifinal loss to the Gaels at the same venue last year that kept them out of the state tournament. Faith Lutheran dominated the opening set and edged a close second before Gorman responded to win the third. The Crusaders then built a 16-7 lead in the fourth set and held off a late rally to close out the match.
Sophomore outside hitter Abby Bunyan led Faith Lutheran with 23 kills on a .450 hitting percentage and added 12 digs. Senior libero Ellee Ford recorded 25 digs, surpassing 1,000 for her career. Coach Amy Fisher praised her team's balanced attack and noted the program is headed to the state tournament for the first time since 2018.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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