Playoff atmosphere, home court advantage propel Falcons to tense victory

A raucous Falcon Gymnasium was the site of Tuesday night's playoff thriller that was eventually won by the Falcons in five sets, 26-24, 23-25, 21-25, 25-19, and 15-12.  City College of San Francisco brought a large contingent of vocal fans that helped elevate the excitement, but they were no match for the home Folsom Lake crowd, especially the Falcon student-athlete rooting section.  On the floor, the two teams were evenly matched as they split the first two sets by the narrowest of margins.  The Rams' sister duo of Jennifer and Zellia Quarters-Styles took control in the third set, but the Falcons adjusted their rotation and blocking schemes to neutralize the sisters in the critical fourth set. Meanwhile, Falcon outside hitter Kylie Haverson was having her usual dominant game with kills down the line, crosscourt, and from the back row.  Allison Whitall, who missed a month of the season with illness, was back in the starting lineup and contributed several key points on kills.  Defensive specialist Meggie Bolstad was everywhere in the backcourt, digging the Rams' rockets without a wince.  Falcon Gymnasium was a loud as it's ever been for the fifth and deciding set as the teams traded points, neither able to get a lead greater than two.   With the score tied at 11 and the FLC student-athlete rooters bellowing in unison,  "Let's go Falcons!"  and "I Believe That We Will Win!", the home team rallied to score 4 of the final five points – including two crucial kills by Analyse Stapleton - to win 15-12.   

The victory earned the Falcons a Round 2 playoff date with Big 8 champion Sierra College at 6:00 pm on Saturday in Rocklin, with the winner advancing to the State Championship Tournament on Dec 2-3.  The Falcons and Wolverines split their two previous matches this season with both winning in their opponent's gym.