Gulf Shores, Ala. -- Claudia Kalin and Madison Tormey found themselves in an unfamiliar position on Friday.
Typically the 5 seed is one of the first teams on and off the court in a dual match contested on three courts. The AVCA Championship, however, has all five seeds playing simultaneously, and with Stetson and Georgia State battling back and forth, the match would eventually be decided on court 5 with Kalin and Tormey.
The Hatter duo had defeated Georgia State's Natalie Wilson and Delaney Rohan 21-19 in the first set, but dropped a 21-10 decision in the second frame to send it to a winner-take-all third set.
"We just told each other to stick to our gameplan," Kalin said. "We deviated a little bit in the second set, and we wanted to go back to focusing on our game and putting balls away."
Kalin and Tormey grabbed an early lead in the third set and started to pull away. When court 4 finished in the Hatters' favor to tie the match 2-2, both teams surrounded court 5. With the match on the line, the Hatter duo came through with a 15-9 win as their teammates stormed the court.
"It was great having the whole team there to support us," Tormey said. "I heard everyone out there. It is a feeling I never felt before. Having everyone rush the court afterwards was awesome."
"That was literally the best thing ever," Kalin said, beaming from ear-to-ear. "That made my entire sports career."
It was a bit of redemtion for Stetson's 5 seed, who went 1-3 during the A-Sun tournament. Fortunately, they stepped up at a crucial time in the national tournament.
"I am just so proud of everyone," Tormey said. "It is everyone's collaborate effort. It's not one seed, as you saw today. We haven't won one in a while, but we pulled it out for the team, and I couldn't be prouder."
"I was so excited pleased that our bottom seeds were able to pull out really big wins for us," head coach Kristina Hernandez said. "They struggled a little at A-Sun, so I was proud to see them be resilient today."
The victory gave Stetson its first-ever AVCA postseason win and put Stetson in the "final six" in the national tournament.
It was a great end to Kalin's career, as she is one of 11 seniors graduating from the program. Tormey, a junior, will return next season.
