Sacred Heart Greenwich won the first set of the FAA Volleyball Tournament final against King School, yet as the next three sets showed, it was the Vikings’ day once again, in a league championship match.

Second-seeded King successfully defended its title, keeping a firm grasp on the FAA Tournament championship trophy by registering a well-earned 3-1 win over top-seeded host Sacred Heart Greenwich in the title match played before a large, enthusiastic crowd.

King, which defeated Sacred Heart for the FAA Tournament title in 2022 and has been victorious against the Tigers for the league championship five times during a nine-season span, won this past Friday’s match by coming back to win the final three sets.

With the championship win, the Vikings avenged their lone loss of the season, improving their overall record to 15-1, while finishing 12-1 in the FAA with another league tournament title. Sacred Heart also finished with a 12-1 FAA record and owns an impressive 20-3 mark overall. Friday’s loss to King snapped Sacred Heart’s 17-match winning streak.

“King is a great team, their defense was really good, they have terrific servers, – they played a great match,” Sacred Heart coach Beth Wilson-Jordan said. “I’m incredibly proud of the girls. It’s been an amazing season so far and we’re happy that it keeps going. Their sportsmanship was great and they have accomplished such great things. It’s going to be a tough team to replace.”

Indeed, Sacred Heart’s season continues, as does Greenwich Academy’s 2023 campaign. Seeded second, Sacred Heart hosts seventh-seeded Greenwich Academy in the quarterfinal-round of today’s 4 p.m. NEPSAC Class A Tournament.

“It’s another opportunity to play we have more chances, so hopefully, we can win the championship,” SHG senior co-captain Kaitlin Robinson said of competing in the NEPSAC Class A Tournament.

In Friday’s FAA final against King, Sacred Heart won the first set, 25-18. King then rebounded, holding the lead for most of the way, before taking the second set, to even the match up at 1-1. The third set saw the Vikings jump out to a 4-0 lead, behind a pair of kills from junior captain Caroline Ellis.

A kill by sophomore Emily McKee later on, gave King a 9-4 advantage in the second game, yet the Tigers rallied to close to tie the score at 11-11. Robinson posted two kills to even the score for the home team. King, however, won the next two points to take the lead for good in the second set at 13-11.

“They started strong in each set, so we had to play a catch-up game,” Sacred Heart senior captain Emilia Bernal said. “They were on point, so credit to them, they played well.”

Carolina Frisoli, a senior captain, closed out the third set with a kill, giving the Vikings a 25-21 win in the set and a 2-1 lead in the championship match. In the fourth set, the Vikings were ahead for most of the way, while Robinson and junior Grace Gapen helped keep the Tigers close with kills and strong play at the net.

King won the fourth and final game, 25-17, to claim the title.

“I am really proud of how we never give up, we always play with heart,” Bernal said. “There were moments in those huddles when there was a lot of pressure. But we did really well in staying together and talking to each other and understanding each other. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way, but I’m proud of our team.”

“I’m proud of how we’ve come together,” Bernal continued. “We have been working really hard in practice and it’s definitely shown on the court. Now, we are looking forward to the New England Tournament.”

Said Robinson: “I’m so proud of our team we put it all on the line, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but I’m proud of us and finished it out well. I think we did a really good job.”