This one had playoffs written all over it.
Big playoff atmosphere. Big playoff intensity. And big playoff comeback.
Down 16-6 and 24-16 with the match on the line, the Berkeley Stags staged two big comebacks, rallying for nine unanswered points to take a 25-24 lead over Summerville to send a weeknight volleyball match at BHS deadlocked at a game apiece into overtime. The comeback effort fell just shy of the big upset in the end as the Green Wave escaped with an 18-25, 25-17 and 29-27 win.
“This match gave us a good indication of where we stand,” said Stags coach Jewel Larson. “We came out on fire in the first game and played the best game I think we’ve played in quite some time.
“We lost the momentum in Game 2 and for the first half of Game 3 but we bounced back big in the end. We lost but it was an awesome match.”
Summerville coach Teresa Kendle heaved a sigh of relief at the match’s end, and while conceding the playoff atmosphere said such play wouldn’t last long in the playoffs.
“We’re up 24-16 and give up nine points,” she said. “We lost our focus. You can’t do that and make it very far in the playoffs. We were fortunate to find our groove and put the match away, but the playoffs won’t be so forgiving.”
The Stags exploded out of the blocks in Game 1 jumping out to a big 10-4 lead they would never relinquish behind kills by Tory Shepherd, Jordan Peterson and Mary Dare Evans highlighting a 6-point service rally by Shepherd.
The Green Wave closed the gap to 14-9 staging a little five-point mini-run of their own behind kills by Alex Graham, Elizabeth Miler and the southpaw serve of Kaitlyn Clark.
Both teams traded points during the back stretch of the match until Stags put the match away behind an Evans ace, an Amber Daniel kill and a Shepherd kill to close out Game 1, 25-18.
The Green Wave came out firing in Game 2, trading points with Berkeley like heavyweight punches until the 13-12 mark when a long volley highlighted by several big digs and blocks on both sides of the net finally fell Summerville’s way. A diving dig by Sophia Jusino swung momentum to the Green Wave side of the net. Up 14-12, SHS rode that wave to an 8-1 run to put the match away.
Danielle Morrow provided the big plays on the front line, frustrating the Stags’ big hitters with timely blocks along with Meredith Mutispaugh as Summerville took Game 2, 25-17.
“They were triple-blocking me out there at times,” said Stags middle hitter Tory Shepherd.
In Game 3 the Stags looked to have fallen victim to the mid-season funk that had plagued them over the last couple weeks, falling behind 9-2 and then 16-6 where the only points Berkeley could score would be on Summerville errors.
A kill by Mutispaugh put the score at 16-6 and other than a Summerville “Let’s go Green Wave” chant, you could hear a Berkeley pin drop. The Green Wave had the match in hand going on an 8-0 run and was ready to hammer the final nail on the Stag coffin at 24-16.
“We fell into that funk at the end of Game 2 and for most of Game 3,” Larson said. “But they reached down and found it and started that comeback.”
A Tory Shepherd stuff on an Alex Graham spike made it 24-17. A Jordan Peterson ace checked off another point to 24-18. A dink by Taylor Tracy closed the gap to 24-19.
Successive aces by Peterson closed the gap to 24-21.
A Shepherd dink, followed by a pair of big kills gave the Stags the lead at 25-24 and the rafters were rocking with noise.
“This was definitely a playoff atmosphere,” Larson said. “Very intense.”
Summerville found their focus to even the match at 25-all. Each team followed trading service points until a big-time block by Graham and Mutispaugh gave the Green Wave the lead for good at 28-27.
A Berkeley third hit fell into the net and the Green Wave heaved a collective sigh of relief to pull out the 29-27 win.
“We did what we had to do to come out of here with the win,” Kendle said. “On that note it was a good match. We just can’t lose our focus like that with the match in hand and expect to come away with a win. It’s just not going to happen much from here on out.”
If anyone could feel good about a loss the Stags should.
“It was an intense match, but we played well,” Larson said. “We came back in the end and almost won. Summerville, Beaufort and Wando take turns beating each other and Wando and Beaufort really beat us bad. We held our own against Summerville and that’s good to see with the playoffs coming up.”
The Stags travel to James Island for a big Region 7-AAAA match up on Thursday then close out the region schedule on Oct. 16 at home against Stratford.
The Green Wave’s remaining region opponents include Colleton County on Thursday and West Ashley Oct. 16.