Whitehall’s volleyball team sat back and watched Liberty sweep Emmaus in Tuesday night’s District 11 semifinals and asked themselves, “why not us?”

Liberty was an example of what can happen to a team full of determination, as the Hurricanes were swept by Emmaus in both encounters this season, only to send a mighty dose of revenge their way in the postseason.

After Whitehall went through a similar run against Parkland this season, losing three times by sweeps, the Zephyrs got a dose of optimism by the Liberty win.

Unfortunately, that didn’t come to fruition for the Zephyrs, as Parkland came away with another sweep--25-15, 25-19, 25-18-- to end Whitehall’s season.

The loss concluded Whitehall’s campaign with a 14-7 mark, but one that head coach George Cowitch feels is the beginning of a promising run for the future.

“We got to grow up in this program because we got young guys who need to fill into roles,” Cowitch said. “This was a successful year getting to the [district] semifinals. This is where we wanted to be. Unfortunately, we couldn’t avoid Parkland until the finals but we gave a full effort and that’s all I can really ask for.”

The Zephyrs battled in all three sets Tuesday night at Allen, but eventually succumbed to Parkland’s skill and experience, as the Trojans will take on Liberty at 7 p.m. tonight in the district championship back at Allen.

An example of Parkland’s will overpowering Whitehall came in the third set with the game tied at 16. The Trojans ran off four straight points to build a 20-16 lead before pulling away for the win.

“We have a freshman playing middle and we’re young in spots,” said Cowitch. “If we had a junior or senior in that spot, things might be different, but that’s part of this team growing up. It’s important to give these guys experience.”

And that experience is something that Cowitch is banking on next year with the hopes that Whitehall can be a contender for the district title.

“The best thing about tonight [Tuesday] was the effort we gave,” he said. “That’s the type of effort you need to play with to be the best and that’s something you need to learn after awhile.

“This season was a step in the right direction for us next year and we’re looking forward to what this group can achieve with another year of experience.”