The 2008 Messiah Fall Invitational turned out to be a successful turnout with tough competition across the board. The Falcon squad looked to continue their high level of play of the 2008 fall pre-season after a successful showing at the JMU Invitational where they beat many Division I teams, such as West Virginia, Delaware, and powerhouse Virginia Tech.
Follow up:
Messiah started off the day with an extremely tough pool beating Juniata 25-22, 25-21 in the first match at 8:00 A.M. Drexel was next and after the Falcons knocked them out of the 2008 MACVC tournament last season, they came out with a vengeance beating Messiah 26-24 first game. A rude awakening for the Falcons, the squad fought back to edge out Drexel 25-23. The Eastern Mennonite B team was next up for the Falcons. In another hard fought match, Messiah downed the Royals 25-20, 25-15. The final pool play match of the day was much anticipated by the Falcons where they faced the Wolverines of Grove City College. Outsized by the Grove City attack, the explosiveness and quickness of the Falcons offensive and defensive talents shown through. The first game was a battle back and forth and Grove City ended on top with a 25-23 win over the Falcons. Not to be denied a win, the Falcons came out on fire and they stopped the oversized attack of Grove City winning the second game 25-17.
The playoffs, as expected, did not prove to be any easier for the Falcons. In the quarterfinal match, Messiah faced a very young and talented Yorktowne 18-1 team, a juniors team from the area. Surprising the Falcons with size and speed, the quarterfinal match turned into an intense 3 game match, where Messiah beat the young squad 23-25, 25-20, 16-14. In the semifinals, Push The Rock, a men’s team who had been wiping the floor with teams all day, awaited Messiah, with former Messiah players on their squad. Kicking it up another level, the Falcons ultimately outplayed the men’s team, defeating them in two games 25-17, 25-21.
Messiah reached the championship match where they were to again meet up with Grove City. The Wolverines had a bye from the quarterfinals where they faced the winner of the Millersville and Eastern Mennonite A quarterfinal match. A surprising upset, Millersville beat the Division III Varsity team, and met Grove city in the semifinals where Grove City was victorious in three games.
The championship match was a showdown of two extremely talented teams. Messiah came out strong over their opponents, overpowering Grove City with strong serving, impenetrable defense, and a quick offense, winning game one in dominating fashion, 25-17. The second game looked to be much of the same. The Falcons were up 22-19, when a few crucial plays, with a huge help from their blocking and a few close calls going their way, Grove City tied the game at 22-22. Back and forth, each team sided out with great plays. The Wolverines took the game 26-24. A crucial third game to decide the championship was flooded with intensity and emotion from players and fans. Long extended, hard fought rallies made every point that much more intense. Tied at 12-12, Grove City pulled out some tough plays and in the end outlasted Messiah 15-13.
The Falcons want to thank everyone who came out throughout the day to support the team!