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LONG TIME COMING: Braves Finally Taste Victory
 (Photo credit: Freddy VanBrocklin) GLADSTONE---It had to happen sometime. At least, if you are in any way associated with the Gladstone Braves volleyball program, you were hoping, praying, that for at least one night, the girls would be rewarded for their hard work with a victory. And, by golly, the Braves finally got that moment, with a 3-0 win over the Westwood Patriots. The scores were 25-15, 25-10, and in come-from-behind fashion, 25-23. The Braves have had moments of being oh-so-close to picking up that first win of the season. There was that gut-wrenching loss in the season-opener against Menominee after the girls won the first two setss, only to lose the next three. There was the inspiring third set win in Escanaba that nearly led to the Braves bring able to force a fifth and deciding set. There was the fun third set win against Ishpeming. But every single time, the Braves had to accept moral victorties, something first-year coach Kaitlyn Hardwick is not willing to do. No accepting failure. Finish the job. Finally, Tuesday night, against another team that has been struggling to find success, the Braves got to smile and enjoy walking out of the gym with a victory. "The match went really well, we won in three, which has been a struggle for us because we've only ever woken up in the third set," Hardwick said. "So, waking up in the first two, is really nice to see, and getting everybody some playing time today is always a great thing." Gladstone had to rally in that third set after falling behind, 15-9. "Towards the end of the game, it was a little tricky, but I changed things up and eventually, they picked on it and they got it," Hardwick said. "We came into this game knowing that we could beat them, so it was nice to see that their energy was there and their positivity was there." TUESDAY'S OTHER U.P. MATCHES |
