By DREW GRANTHUM / Sports Writer

The Kingwood Christian Lions fell in the semifinals of the AISA Volleyball State Championship Tournament to Macon-East Academy, 3-0 Oct. 24.

The Lions appeared to have the jump on the Knights, racing out to a 6-3 lead in the first set. Macon-East then went on an 8-0 run, taking an 11-6 lead. A 14-8 run followed, and the Knights took a 25-14 opening set win.

The Lions battled the Knights to a 3-3 tie early in the second set, but the Knights took the lead with a 10-2 run. Despite a late comeback, the gap was too large, and the Lions fell, 25-11.

The third set saw the Lions fall behind 11-3 and never recover, falling 14-25 in the set, and 0-3 in the match.

Despite the loss, head coach Stephanie Cochran said she was proud of her squad’s effort.

“They were not expected to go to state,” she said. “They’ve had to overcome a lot.”

Cochran said the team faced having a new coach as well as several new players this season, but has handled both very well.

“We’ve got a lot of amazing players, so many that give all they’ve got,” she said. “It says a lot about the character of the girls at Kingwood. They were able to open their arms (to these new players).”