WHITEHALL — After Montague stormed back from losing the first two games of Monday's pre-district match at Whitehall to force a decisive fifth game, the Wildcats seemed to have all the momentum. From the outside, it looked like a replay of last year's district match against Fruitport, in which the Trojans rallied from two games down to beat Whitehall. A Vikings team that has struggled to convert its talent into wins at times this year could have teetered.
Instead, Whitehall scored five straight points to break open a 5-5 game and never gave back the lead, topping the rival Wildcats, 28-26, 25-18, 20-25, 17-25, 15-11.
"We've been playing better, and we haven't really beaten a good team," Whitehall coach Ted Edsall said. "They're a good team. We just needed to get over the hump. I was hoping it wouldn't take until districts, but it was a good time to do it."
Whitehall's play in the first two games of the match was maybe its best of the season, as the Vikings played cohesively and cleanly. Kayla Mulder and Arianna Black, the two senior hitters, were outstanding throughout the match, each hitting over .250, but particularly early on. Mulder had 26 kills on the night and Black 17.
Game one was a heart-pounding battle, with neither team ever able to gain control. The Wildcats had game point at 25-24 after a Jordan Netcott ace, but Mulder responded with a kill. The Vikings never trailed again in the opening game, and they dominated game two.
Things quickly shifted in game three, as the Wildcats battled back, impressing coach Shawn Bectel.
"Once we...started taking away what we knew they were going to do and doing those little things, we took control of the match at that point," Bectel said. "Unfortunately, game five, all bets are off because it's the first one to 15 wins. The girls showed a lot of heart tonight.
"The girls played hard, they prepared hard, they did everything it took to come out and get a victory tonight."
Montague dominated the fourth game, Edsall calling his timeouts to try to keep the ship steady. As the match went along, the coach noticed something remarkable - senior setter Sidney Shepherd was doing that job herself.
"In our huddles, I could barely say anything," Edsall said. "Sid Shepherd did one of the best jobs leading I've ever seen. I backed out of four or five huddles and said, 'Do your thing.' Player-led teams are way better than me yapping all the time."
Shepherd, who had 53 assists and passed the 2,000-assist mark for her career in the win, said her teammates' effort was key to surviving the Montague comeback.
"I'm really proud of all of us for our effort," Shepherd said. "That's really hard to come back from, being on that high of those first two sets, then being on the low of those second two sets and then just coming out on top. I think that's where our effort really persevered."
"We got taken back to last year, where we were at this exact point with Fruitport," Black said. "I think that we all just decided to band together and reset, where we just move on from a mistake, and that was our main goal tonight. Even if we make a mistake, mistakes happen."
Montague's loss meant the final match for four seniors, including starters Britta Johnson - who came back from an injury to play in the match - and Alissa Wynn. Despite the bitterness of the defeat, Bectel repeatedly expressed pride in his team.
"I think they gave everything they had to get to that game five and sometimes you just hit that wall, and it slows you down a little bit, and that's kind of how I feel," Bectel said. "I'm just super proud of the girls. Our season is a brutal one. We don't give ourselves too many easy games, so every time's a test so we can get in these moments, and unfortunately you're not always going to win them."
Whitehall earned the right to face Fremont, a team that handed the Vikes a demoralizing loss in conference play. However, Whitehall also beat Fremont during the season and will have the home court again. If Black and Mulder deliver the way they did Monday, there's plenty of reason for hope.
"They're super athletic," Edsall said of Fremont. "If we play at this level, we've got a great chance, but we have to play at this level."
