By Don Ketchum'

Seldom does the outcome of a volleyball match hinge on the first game.

But that's what happened in Tuesday night's Class 4A Division II championship match between Chandler Seton Catholic and Peoria Liberty at Gilbert Mesquite High.

Liberty held a 25-24 lead, but Seton rallied for the final three points to prevail, 27-25. The Sentinels never looked back after that with 25-14 and 25-15 wins and captured their third state title in a row.

""if they (Liberty) win that first game, it's probably a different match,'' said Seton coach James Felton.

"It was a matter of us not giving up, trying to get those last few points, not making mistakes.''

Felton didn't want to take much credit for his team's success, putting it on the players.

"I'm just the driver of the car. It's a pretty nice car,'' he said.

Leading the way were the team's two outside hitters, 6-foot-3 Haley Lawless and 6-foot Lauren Betlach.

They ruled the net, with Betlach getting seemingly as many kills as Lawless, the heralded player who is being recruited by numerous Division I college programs.

Lawless doesn't know what it's like not to win a championship.

"It gets better every time,'' she said.

"We started off the season slow, but we steadily got better as the season went along.''

She added that she and her teammates were wary of Liberty, even after the first game, because Liberty had rallied from two games down to defeat Phoenix Arcadia in the semifinals.

Seton led 20-15 in the first game before Liberty rallied to take the lead.

"We kind of let up, but we fought our way out of it and won that first game,'' Lawless said.

Liberty coach Courtney Johnson admitted that Seton "kind of got in our heads'' late in the first game.

"And we didn't do some of the things that got us here. We're usually much better at serving and passing. I think their (Seton's) experience showed.''

It was only Liberty's third season of varsity play, "and this is the biggest thing that has happened to our school. I am proud of our team,'' she said.

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