Bison rally to win in five

SWOOPE — Buffalo Gap was five points away from being swept by Page County in its first Shenandoah District match of the season on Tuesday night in Swoope.

The Bison erased a two-game deficit by tying the Panthers and winning the match in five games 20-25, 18-25, 25-27, 25-21, 15-11 on Tuesday night. 

The Panthers controlled the ball in the first two games and were on the way to winning. The squad took an early lead in Game 3. The Bison started to gain momentum after falling behind 15-12. They answered the Panthers by adding seven points. But the Panthers controlled the ball again and increased their lead by adding five unanswered points for the 25-15 lead.

With the clock winding down, Gap’s Cassie Driver, chipped in for 10 service points with 21 assists and Renee Buford’s nine kills for the contest helped Gap tie and win the game. They never looked back after the rally.

“They knew that they had to win it in that game,” said Gap coach Sara Botkin. “Page was playing hard, and they found their energy and battled back. This has been a tough time for us, we started the season with injuries, this was great comeback for them.”

The Bison (4-7, 1-0 Shenandoah) did not want to start the district season back on their heels.

“We started off slow tonight, but they found their energy and they played unbelievable.”