Falcons finish second in Nation Ford Invitational; Fort Mill, Rock Hill third

The Nation Ford Falcons volleyball team failed to defend their crown in their own tournament – the Nation Ford Invitational – losing in the finals to the Lexington Wildcats in the best of three sets Saturday evening.

The Falcons lost (25-22, 18-25, 7-15) to Lexington for the second time in a week. Nation Ford fell in five sets earlier in the week to Lexington on the road.

“We had a breakdown in our ball control,” Falcons head coach Carrie Christian said.

Nation Ford played well throughout the tournament, going 6-0 to get to the finals, including a 2-1 win over Region IV opponent Rock Hill in their semifinal match (21-25, 25-18, 15-6).

“I think it was a good confidence boost for us to beat Rock Hill,” Christian said.

Nation Ford beat Boiling Springs and Clover to open the tournament Friday evening and then beat York, Covenant Day and Gray Collegiate on Saturday before taking on Rock Hill.

The two-day tournament attracted 16 teams from across the state and as far away as Hilton Head. Fort Mill, York, Clover, and Northwestern also competed in the tournament.

Fort Mill and Rock Hill finished tied for third. Fort Mill went 5-1-1 in the tournament and lost to Lexington in the semifinal, spoiling an all-Fort Mill school district final. The Jackets fell 2-1 to Lexington (22-25, 25-18, 8-15).

“We have a young team,” said Fort Mill head coach Gina Farley. “All our starting hitters are new to the position. We have been building and I feel like we are making progress.”

The Jackets beat Covenant Day and Ridge View on day one of the tournament, while tying Ashley Hall at one set a piece. On the second day, they beat Boiling Springs, Bluffton and Northwestern before being matched up with Lexington in the semifinals.

Clover went 1-5 in the tournament and lost to Covenant Day 2-0 in the bronze bracket. The Blue Eagles fell to Nation Ford and Boiling Springs on the first day of the tournament, and lost to Rock Hill and Hilton Head on day two. Their only win came against Ridge View.

This story was originally published August 27, 2017 at 8:58 PM with the headline "Falcons finish second in Nation Ford Invitational; Fort Mill, Rock Hill third."