Like everyone else in the area, the Bulldogs had not played a match since the week of Oct. 6 due to Hurricane Isaias and were not sure if they would get to play last week as schools in Santa Rosa County remained closed in the aftermath of the storm.
But the scheduling worked out, with the semifinals and final being played in Navarre, and the Bulldogs never had an answer for the Patriots.
“Everybody was a little rusty and out of sorts, but that is no excuse for how we played,” Crestview head coach James Kerrell said. “I’d love to be able to blame the hurricane, but how we played, that was not the hurricane’s fault.”
The Bulldogs faced a deficit early on in each match and the Patriots never let go of their grip on the momentum. They got within 16-14 in the second set and 16-13 in the third set but couldn’t put together a rally.
“We came out kind of flat and when you play a team like Pace, and they get a little momentum behind them, it makes it tough,” Kerrell said. “We gave them too many points from the start and tried to play catch up.
“We were not real sharp and didn’t execute offensively or defensively. It was just a frustrating day,” Kerrell added.
The Bulldogs finish the season at 9-13, beginning and ending their season with 3-0 losses to Pace.
“It’s a good group of girls and they really came together as a team,” Kerrell said. “They genuinely care about each other and backed each other. It was a different team than last year but still a good group of girls.”
Kerrell has a young team with only four seniors on the roster. He’s optimistic about the future.
“We have a lot of younger girls, and they just have to grow up and develop in the offseason,” Kerrell said. “They’ll put in the work and hopefully they will have a better season next year.”