PONTE VEDRA - The Fleming Island Golden Eagles showed their resilience as they fought back from two sets down against Ponte Vedra, but a comeback bid came up short and they lost to the Sharks in four sets, 25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 28-26 in the district 3-6A championship on Oct. 19.

With the loss, the Golden Eagles finished runner-up in the district but did not qualify for a spot in the state playoffs as they were the odd team out in the rankings process, as they finished the season No. 18 in the state, one spot below Fletcher who made it into the postseason despite falling to the Golden Eagles in the semifinals of the district tournament.

Every one of the four sets saw both teams going back and forth trading momentum, as it turned out to be a very evenly matched contest between the two squads.

The largest lead of the game for either team was six points after the Sharks (13-13) jumped out to an 8-2 lead early in the third set.

That came after the Sharks were able to string together some points late to pull away in the first two sets to take a 2-0 lead.

It looked as if the Sharks were poised to take complete control when they quickly formed a lead in the third set, but the Golden Eagles (19-7) were having none of it and chipped away at the deficit and eventually grabbed the lead before seemingly trading points before securing the set victory in the end.

The win pumped life into the Golden Eagles, who received key offensive play by senior middle Rauly Eason and junior outside hitter Kaylee Kirkland during their comeback bid.

However, just as the Golden Eagles showed the mental toughness to narrow the gap, the Sharks responded nicely to the adversity they faced as well and did not let the third-set loss rattle them.

Instead, the Sharks regrouped and were able to fend off the Golden Eagles in a relentless fourth set by both teams.

It was obvious at times that a district title was on the line with the way both teams were hitting the floor diving for balls to keep rallies going and keep hope alive for every possible point, and in the end, those points added up and the result was yet another title for the Sharks trophy case.

“There was a lot of energy by both teams and great full stands of support all night,” Ponte Vedra head coach John Goings said. “It was one fun night.”

Fleming Island’s sophomore setter Hazel Williams reached the 800 career assists milestone on the night.