MUSKEGON — Whitehall had the early ingredients cooking for an upset Thursday against top seed Fruitport in the district semifinals; the Trojans made some early mistakes and the Vikings played with confidence, building a 12-7 lead.
Then Fruitport called timeout, and a different team emerged from its huddle. From that point on, it was the Trojans' match, and Whitehall couldn't slow them down, losing 25-18, 25-15, 25-13.
Fruitport unleashed Grand Valley State commit Sadie Haase throughout the match, and the Vikings (17-20) did their best, but struggled to slow her down.
Coach Ted Edsall said Fruitport's serving, too, was a huge factor in the match.
"Our ball control just didn't hold up," Edsall said. "They served fantastic. I said (to the girls) at the end, 'I'm glad you guys were passing and I wasn't,' because they served super tough."
Edsall has always been a champion of the philosophy that you can't have a functional offense without strong serve receive and passing, and the Vikings, though playing with great effort, were unable to deliver that often enough to keep up with Fruitport. Whitehall hit for an .038 average on the night, a figure that doesn't beat many good teams.
"We could have got that first game even after they came back," Edsall said. "We just couldn't get in system enough. They've got a great player (Haase) and a bunch of kids, and they played good defense. We hit a bunch of balls that I thought were kills that they dug. They were better, and that's how it works."
Aaliyah Jamison led the Viking defense with 16 digs, and freshman Braelee Fogus made an impact with three blocks. However, for Whitehall the night belonged to four-year varsity players Sidney Shepherd and Bella Fogus, who ended strong careers with solid performances. Shepherd had 11 assists, and Fogus posted 10 kills and 11 digs.
"Sid and Bella were fantastic," Edsall said. "It's great because I coached them both for four years, and we've had our moments. I've had my moments with both of them. That's what relationships are all about. We hugged here for a long time because I care about them a lot and I think it's mutual."
The future could be bright for Whitehall, which apart from Shepherd and Fogus did not have much experience on the floor Thursday. Jamison's emergence as a strong libero gives the Vikings a future building block, and four other underclassmen saw playing time in the match.
Edsall ended the match content with how the season played out, maybe not as much with the record, but with the players.
"All year, we fought, and we played hard, and we practiced well, and they liked each other," Edsall said. "The outcomes aren't always what you want, but it was a really good team to coach."
