South Fulton outlasts Bradford in five-set thriller

The South Fulton High School Lady Red Devils saved its best for last Thurs., Aug. 20, as they battled through five tightly contested sets, winning the decisive fifth 15-13 to knock off Bradford 3-2 in a thrilling varsity girls volleyball matchup.
South Fulton took control early, edging Bradford 27-25 in the opening set. Bradford answered in the second with a 25-21 victory, but the Red Devils regained the upper hand in the third, rolling to a 25-16 win.
With the match on the line, Bradford forced a fifth set by taking the fourth 25-19.
South Fulton then held its nerve in the deciding set, coming away with a 15-13 victory to seal the match.
Mckynlee Guthrie led the Red Devils offensively with eight kills on 21 attempts. She also recorded two assists and finished with a 38.1-percent kill percentage.
Gwen Long added four kills, while Karleigh Morgan and Haley Dance chipped in three apiece. Samantha Auxier recorded two kills, while Makenna Haley and Rylee Morris each added one.
Haley finished with a perfect 100-percent kill percentage.
As a team, South Fulton recorded 22 kills on 76 attacks, producing a 28.9-percent kill percentage.
The Red Devils also created plenty of opportunities from the service line. Morris led the way with five aces on 26 serves, followed by Kay Wallace with four aces on 25 attempts. Auxier added three aces, while Guthrie recorded two.
South Fulton finished with 16 aces on 104 serves for a 15.4-percent ace percentage.
The victory improves the Red Devils to 1-2 on the season, while Bradford drops to 0-1.
The SFHS Lady Red Devils will return to action Mon., Aug. 24 as they host the Peabody Golden Tide at 5 p.m.