Redskins outlast Cavs in epic title bout

COLDWATER - Thursday's Midwest Athletic Conference volleyball title match at the Palace lived up to every inch of the hype.

Coldwater fought its way to a 2-0 lead with wins of 25-21 and 25-22, only to have St. Henry storm back to take the next two sets 27-25 and 25-23 to force a fifth game.

The Redskins' momentum carried through to a big lead at the beginning before holding off the Cavaliers for a 15-11 win to finish the regular season 22-0 and run the table in the MAC at 9-0. Coldwater ends the regular season 20-2 - both losses coming to St. Henry - and 8-1 in the league.

"In my opinion, Coldwater is the best team in the state," said St. Henry coach Diana Kramer, whose team will likely finish first in the final state coaches' poll in Division III. "It's a testament to who we are as a team."

"That's how I thought it would be," said Coldwater coach Mike Etzler, whose team was ranked third in this week's state Division III poll. "Going into that third game, I was going 'I really can't believe we're going to win this in three, possibly.' But that momentum shift in game three was huge. That's what had to happen to (St. Henry) for them to win this match, and it did."

The match consisted of constant action and numerous long points. The biggest lead at any point in the match was six points.

The Cavaliers gained the momentum in the first set after breaking a 13-13 tie on a net serve by St. Henry. A Redskin hitting error made it a two-point lead that allowed the Cavaliers not to trail the rest of the set. Tasha Kahlig had six kills in the first set as St. Henry's Ellie Stammen and Olivia Niekamp each had five kills.

The same formula held in the second set as both teams took small leads during the action. St. Henry looked close to evening the match when a Britney Siefring kill put the Redskins up 22-20, but Kahlig scored a kill to give Coldwater back the serve and kills by Danielle Welsch and Taylor Siefring put Coldwater up 23-22. A Kahlig ace made it set point with a combo block by Paige Hartings and Welsch putting the Cavaliers one set away from winning the title.

During the break before the third set, Kramer had a simple message.

"I just said 'Never give up,' " Kramer said. "There wasn't a person in the stands who thought we could come back and win except for those standing in that circle (the players). These seniors put so much hard work and leadership on the line that everybody followed them. (The seniors) didn't give up and it trickled down through the entire team."

Coldwater led 16-12 in the third set before St. Henry began to claw its way back to tie the set at 22-22 and 23-23. A block by Stammen gave the Redskins set point, but a long serve on the ensuing serve tied the set at 24-all. Coldwater earned set and match point, but three straight Coldwater errors turned match point into a set win for St. Henry.

"It was back and forth. It reminded me of a college match," said Kramer, herself a standout college player at Duquesne. "In college, you pass, set and get a kill usually. The team that wins is the team that gets you out of system. Tonight, both teams were in system a lot and when both are in system, it's a long night and you can get frustrated at the service line. We found a way to continue the fight."

The Redskins began to build up the momentum in the fourth set. A pair of Stammen aces and a kill by Claudia Heitkamp put St. Henry up 16-10. Later, a kill by Stammen gave the Redskins set point at 24-19. Coldwater fought off losing the set with four straight points to get to within 24-23, but a Stammen kill closed out the set.

"It was tight the whole way," Etzler said. "What got St. Henry back into it was they served aggressive and our serve receive broke down. We had trouble with that slide."

Coldwater won the toss to serve first in the fifth set, but a kill by Stammen and a block by Savannah Wourms put St. Henry up 2-0 early. The Cavaliers struggled early and trailed 6-2 to force Etzler to call a timeout. Coldwater slowly worked its way back. A kill by Hartings made it 11-10 and then a Welsch kill tied the game at 11-11 before Wourms recorded a block to put the Redskins back up 12-11 and gave the serve to Madison Broering. Niekamp hammered down a kill to make it 13-11. An ace by Broering gave the Redskins match point and then a block by Wourms - her third of the set - gave the match and championship to St. Henry.

"The (6-2 lead) helped early," Kramer said. "Like any good team, (the Cavs were) able to find their way back. It's just one or two points here and there to make the difference."

"I knew it was going to be a battle of serve/serve-receive," Etzler said. "They won that battle tonight."

Although the season is far from over, Kramer noted one thing about her team's running the table in the regular season.  

"It's a great accomplishment for this team to finish undefeated," Kramer said. "As you look at the state banners in the gym, most of those teams have one or two losses because it's hard to be perfect in a game that is not perfect at all. We know our backs are against the wall. Every team we play in the tournament is undefeated because postseason is a completely new season. ... We have to continue to stay focused."

With both teams playing in the same Division III district, the odds are good that the teams will meet again in the district final.

"I don't think anyone thought we'd be here with the youth (Denise Schwieterman is the only senior for Coldwater)," Etzler said. "I know the next battle is probably going to be the same way."