Photo by Mike Maddock Ben Lippen’s Samantha Currier goes for the kill against R.E. Lee. SUMTER – Sarah Yeakel would have liked a video of her senior volleyball year at Ben Lippen. But, the kind of video parents might shoot from the stands wasn’t what she’d be after. Neither would a compilation of personal highlights for recruiting purposes.

“I wish there was a before and after video of the team – it would have been a dramatic difference,” the senior said after that season ended Saturday. “For us to make it this far with only two returning starters … We worked very hard this year, and everyone on the team improved.”

Sam Currier had a laundry list of content for such a video.

“When we started, we were weak passing; we didn’t move our feet; one of our setters was new to varsity,” Currier said. “We still have a lot to work on.”

But the Falcons ran out of time for improvement with their 25–6, 25–13 loss to second–seeded Northwood at the Sumter County Exhibition Center. The match, which tipped at 8:30 am, opened the second day of the tournament.

“Most of the players on this team are not morning people,” said Yeakel, who noted that at that hour most of the players are starting their first class of the day.

That much was obvious as Northwood rolled to a 12–2 lead in the first game and coasted as the Falcons had difficulty receiving the Chargers’ serves with pace and frequently fired long or wide on their bids for points. The problems bedeviled Ben Lippen throughout the season, according to coach Sushil Gupta.

“We didn’t expect to get this far,” Gupta said. “We had a very small team, were few in numbers, were inexperienced, and played with injuries and illness this season. But they worked really hard – together – throughout the season.

Ben Lippen (7–15) was seeded fifth in the six–team Upper State bracket. Though they lost their opener to Robert E. Lee, the Falcons bounced back to beat Florence Christian, earning them a second–day.

“I’ve played since eighth–grade, and we had made states every year,” Currier said. “So, as the season went on, I was like, this is my senior year; we have to make states. Even though it is a little upsetting we lost, it’s OK. We got this far.”

Yeakel and Currier were the only seniors on the squad; four junior and two sophomores, including that rookie setter (Kaitlin Cook) return. And Cook’s development this season drew praise from both seniors and her coach.

“She struggled to run the offense at the start,” Gupta said. “But she has worked hard and developed into a real leader.”

Gupta also praised Yeakel and Currier.

“They led a lot by example; they were pillars for this team,” he said. “Both play the middle, so I’m going to miss them next season.”