Whitehall’s volleyball team is turning down the final stretch of their season and the Zephyrs are gearing up for a final push heading into the postseason.

However, the Zephyrs (13-4, 9-4) took a concerning tumble Tuesday night losing to Nazareth (9-6, 6-6) in four games - 18-25, 18-25, 25-22, 15-25.

Tuesday night’s defeat may be what the Zephyrs needed for a wake-up call, but it comes at inopportune time with a Thursday night matchup with Parkland (13-1, 12-0) looming.

“The focus part is where we have stumbled this season, mainly the mental toughness aspect of the game,” said head coach George Cowitch. “Competitiveness, the fire in the gut is not something taught, its what we need to have and bring to the match every time we play, no matter who is on the other side of the net. We have a vision of where we want to go this season, and we talk about it a lot, just waiting for everyone to get on board.”

If Whitehall has hopes of making a run at the EPC or District 11 titles, it’ll be led by a crew of players, led by Logan McGinley.

“He is our work horse,” said Cowitch. “We are as good as he is moving forward. Myles Thomas has been our most consistent hitter, and a nuisance for other hitters, recording 60 blocks up to this point. Jacob Bird has done what we asked of him on the outside, recording over 150 kills. Joey Mamaari has also been doing a good job as our setter, reaching 1000 assists for his career early in the season. Kyle Sayre has been great in the back row as our libero, pushing our other guys on defense.”

With Parkland on tap at home Thursday night, it will likely be the first of back-to-back encounters for both teams, as the Trojans appear to be a lock for the top-seed in the EPC playoffs. Whitehall also appears to be a solid favorite to land the fourth-seed, pitting both teams against each other next week.

That may be close to the best time for the Zephs to hit their stride in the season.

“We don’t want to peak just yet, its tough to do that and sustain that level of play,” Cowitch said. “We are holding them back for the last leg of the race (playoffs). We need to be patient, and when its time to go and finish the race, we should have plenty of gas in tank to go. The last time I checked, no one gives you a trophy around here for what you do in the regular season, its what you do in the playoffs that counts.”

Parkland, Emmaus, Liberty and Whitehall figure to be the four teams that will qualify for the EPC tournament. Whitehall missed out on the tournament last year.