There is an old saying that makes the claim that "the third time is the charm." No one knows for certain where the saying originated, although one that makes sense has to do with the good fortune of a British subject named John Lee. Lee was convicted of murder in 1885 and was sentenced to hang. The gallows failed to end Lee's life on THREE different occasions. The British equivalent of the U.S. Attorney General decided that was enough, and pardoned Lee for his crime, and set him free. Whether or not that is actually the source of the saying, it seems to be the most interesting possibility.

Over the years sports enthusiasts have adopted the saying and used it to describe a team winning the third contest against an opponent, after losing to the opponent twice during the season. Charger volleyball fans were hoping for a little "charm" last night when ACGC faced Underwood for the third time this year in the regional semifinals. The Chargers fell to the Eagles twice at the CAM tournament earlier in October.

So, when ACGC made the trip to Underwood there was cautious optimism that maybe the "third time would be the charm." But it was not to be, as the Eagles topped the Chargers in four sets, 25-18, 25-16, 13-25, and 25-14. The Chargers never led in set one as the Eagles took the first point and went on to victory from there. Down by ten points at 19-9, ACGC rallied to get within four points at 20-16 when Alaina Bunde scored on two consecutive blocks and Chloe Largent served an ace. But Underwood shut the door and claimed victory in set one.

Set two was pretty much all Underwood, as the Chargers fell behind early and never mounted a serious challenge in the 25-16 loss.

The Chargers came to life early in set three when they took the lead at 4-3 on an ace serve by Saige O'Brien and then increased the lead throughout the set to come away with a convincing 25-13 win. With Kylie Young and Largent taking turns with successful kills and quality play coming from the back row, the Chargers looked like a different team and a glimmer of hope surfaced among the ACGC faithful.

The Chargers hung tough in the early going of the fourth set, as the teams were tied at 8-8. The Eagles then outscored the Chargers 11-1 to take a 19-9 lead and never looked back, clinching the match with the 25-14 set win. The Chargers had no answer for the Eagle surge. A notable statistic for the Eagles was their serving percentage for the night, as the were successful on 96.5% of their serves, while unofficial results for ACGC on serving indicate a success rate of 82%.

The match represents the third consecutive season in which ACGC has advanced to the regional semifinals. It also marks the third consecutive season in which the Chargers have won twenty or more games, with this years' mark being 28-8. A job well done by Charger players and coaches. Two Charger seniors bid adieu to their teammates, as Olivia Laabs and Hailey Kintz have played their final match for ACGC. We all wish them well! Go Chargers!

Set scores:

ACGC 18 16 25 14

U'wood 25 25 13 25