The FAA Tournament quarterfinal-round match between fourth-seeded Greenwich Academy and fifth-seeded Rye Country Day School was a tight, back-and-forth affair, featuring numerous momentum swings.

Fortunately for the Gators, the momentum swung in their favor at the conclusion of the edge-of-your-seat fifth and deciding set.

Erasing a significant deficit in the final set, Greenwich Academy rallied t win the fifth set and edge visiting Rye Country Day School, 3-2, in Monday’s FAA quarterfinals. Up next for the Gators is a matchup against No. 2-seeded King School in the FAA Tournament semifinals Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

King, which has won the FAA Tournament title numerous seasons in a row, topped No. 7 Greens Farms Academy, 3-0, in the quarterfinals.

“It was a back-and-forth match, I’m super proud of the team,” Greenwich Academy coach Bryan Coloma said. “We talk a lot about playing for each other and making sure we are true to ourselves. Today, we served hard, got through a couple of tough sets and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

In the fifth and deciding game, a kill by senior captain/outside hitter Casey Brower drew GA even at 3-3, then RCDS went on a significant run, behind standout serving to seize an 11-4 advantage. The Wildcats were the team that was on the verge of moving on to the tournament semifinals, yet the Gators went on a spirited surge to earn the win. Host Greenwich Academy won the exciting match by set scores of 25-16, 18-25, 25-27, 25-17, 19-17.

“We’re really excited, it’s never guaranteed, so it’s so fun,” GA senior captain/libero Mariana Marti said. “We’re really excited to keep going and see what else we can do. It was nerve-wracking, but super exciting.”

Brower recorded a team-high 10 kills to go along with six digs and four aces for the Gators, who are 9-3 in the FAA.

“We really emphasized playing every single point and we put in all of our effort no matter what the score was,” Brower said.

Trailing 11-4 in the fifth game, GA staged a comeback, behind stellar serving from Natalie Bunnell. She notched several straight service points, including an ace that brought the home team to within 11-10. The Wildcats held a 14-13 advantage and were one point away from closing out the match, put GA won the next point, then Brower put down a kill, giving the Gators a 15-14 edge.

Greenwich Academy ended the fifth set strong, taking it, 19-17, before an enthusiastic crowd.

“We were staying confident, staying up, knowing that every point was worth the same and we took it one point at a time,” Brower noted. “We could have stayed here all night if we needed to, but we were going to come out on top.”

Marti tallied 10 digs and five aces to help spark GA’s defensive effort. After dropping the third game, Greenwich Academy rebounded in the fourth game, holding the lead the majority of the way.

“We went back to the idea that every single point matters and we have to give it everything we had for every single ball, because it could be our last match,” Marti said. “That really helped us.”

Bunnell and Maddie Mendicina led GA in the serving department, while Brower ignited the offense. Mendicina, a senior setter, notched 34 assists, five aces and four kills in the winning effort.

“Our senior captain, Casey Brower, – her presence on the court elevates us, as well as Maddie Mendicina our setter and our senior captain Mariana Marti,” Coloma said. “Without their leadership and all the seniors here, this is a different game.”

Greenwich Academy entered the FAA quarterfinal-round match knowing it was going to face a stern test from Rye Country Day.

“They played amazing,” Brower noted. “Every time we play them it is so hard. Their passing is so good, their serving is so good, their defense is so scrappy. They have no weaknesses and they really showed up. We really wanted to win against a top opponent and it feels great to get this win.”

“We could have stayed here all night if we needed to, but we were going to come out on top,” Brower continued. “It feels amazing, we really earned it and we’re going to stay working and keep holding ourselves high.”

Coloma reflected on the fifth set in which GA came back from a seven-point deficit and were just one point away from elimination from the tourney.

“It comes back to serving,” he said. “Natalie Bunnell went on a tear when she was serving and really brought us back. Understanding that one serve doesn’t dictate the next serve and we just played for each other and played each point. So, shout out to her for staying true to herself.”

Said Marti: “We really didn’t have anything to lose at that point. Everyone got into the idea that this could be our last moment playing together, so that combined with everyone giving it their all really helped us.”

The winner of the GA-King semifinal match on Wednesday advances to Friday’s FAA Tournament final against the winner of top-seeded Sacred Heart Greenwich and No. 5-seeded Greenwich Country Day School.

“We’re super excited to play King,” Coloma said. “They have a super squad. We’ve already seen them once this season and we want to be sure that we bring our ‘A’ game.”