WHITEHALL — Despite playing mistake-prone volleyball Tuesday night, Whitehall was able to largely control a match against Manistee and come away with a 25-17, 25-16, 26-28, 25-20 win.
The Vikings battled against themselves for much of the match, making 38 attack errors, 13 of them in game three, which the Mariners won despite a late Whitehall rally. In all, the Vikings hit only .068 for the match.
"Our passing was
great," Whitehall coach Ted Edsall said. "The defense was great. Aaliyah Jamison, with 31 digs, was fantastic in the back row. She's a really good defender. Our back row play, our first contact, our serving, was fine. We've just got to attack the ball better."
Whitehall was working with a retooled lineup that featured Aaliyah Jamison in the red defensive specialist/libero jersey. The role certainly seemed to agree with the sophomore, who racked up a team-high 31 digs and continued to get credit from Edsall for her high-energy play.
Whitehall (9-9, 2-2 West Michigan Conference Lakes) did show some impressive grit in the third game despite all its miscues. After being behind by as many as eight points during the game, the Vikings came roaring out of a timeout facing a 21-15 deficit and scored five consecutive points. Whitehall then set senior Sidney Shepherd down the stretch, and Shepherd responded with her team's next four points, which tied the match at 24. Edsall said the team's emphasis on Shepherd was no accident and said she has responded well to being looked to for more attacking after being the team's setter the past two seasons.
"She's had a good run," Edsall said, adding that Shepherd and fellow outside hitter Bella Fogus are both left-handed, adding a new dimension to the offense. "I was worried about her
serving a little bit earlier this year, but she's really started to serve well. She's never hit before. This is all new for
her...She's doing a
great job."
The Vikings' errors got the best of them late in game three, though, as they were unable to convert on two match points and ultimately had to play a fourth game.
However, the Vikings took an early lead in that fourth game and were never threatened. Edsall said the team has been handling adversity better as the season has gone along.
"We made a pact with each other," Edsall said. "I'm letting
them play more, giving them less information as they play. They've been
around me enough that they know what they're doing wrong.
I'm leaving all that alone, and I'm just doing strategy and some
serving stuff. I think it's helping. I'm letting the players
take care of themselves."
Fogus went down late in the match with an ankle injury. At first glance it did not appear to be serious, though if she does miss time the Vikings will have to make yet another lineup adjustment. The team is continuing to search for the right combination in hopes of becoming its best self in November, when it matters most.
"It's match to match for us," Edsall said. "We're
going to beat some of these teams at the end of the year. That's
our goal. We're going to get better. Every day at practice, we're
going to get a little bit better, and we're going to find a lineup that
makes us the best we can be, and then we're going to play hard and hopefully upset a couple good teams."
Fogus and Shepherd had 15 kills apiece, and Fogus also had 26 digs to supplement Jamison's 31. Delaney Kramer had five blocks, and the team served well, with only four errors.
