With their playoff fortunes on the line, the Whitehall girls volleyball team got the needed win to qualify for the district tournament.

They swept Nazareth, punching their ticket to the district dance where they’ll once again try to advance among a strong crop of area teams led by defending 3A district champs Parkland who are currently 16-0.

Head coach George Cowitch said that everyone understood what needed to be done when they lined up against the Blue Eagles.

“Either you do it or you don’t,” he said.

The Zephyrs responded with a sweep, defeating Nazareth 29-27, 25-22 and 25-21. In their first meeting this year, Whitehall was in danger of being swept by the Blue Eagles, but rallied in the third game to send the match to a deciding fourth set. They eventually lost to their Skyline Division rivals, but when they met them on their home court last week, the outcome was completely different and they will now most likely face Pocono Mountain East in the D-11 playoffs on Oct. 29.

It marks the second consecutive season head coach George Cowitch has guided the Zephyrs to a playoff berth. This year they needed to win one of their remaining three games, and standing in their way was a roster of teams who had already defeated Whitehall during the course of the season. They fished the year 10-10.

With the playoffs at stake, Cowitch said that they played well in all phases of the game. They’ve been a strong defensive team all year, and against Nazareth they passed well and put the ball on the floor consistently to earn the victory.

“We probably played our best volleyball of the year, which was perfect,” said Cowitch.

He also said that they received contributions from everyone on the floor, with their hitters stepping up and making big plays.

“Everything came together at the right time,” he said.

In the win, Kristin Spengler had 15 kills, 12 assists and two blocks. Alix Buskirk added six kills while Alyson Peters had three kills and four blocks. Additionally, Amelia Ballard had 17 assists, while Olivia Ballard had 14 digs.

They lost their next game to Emmaus, an historically tough place to play for the Zephyrs. They closed out their season with a match against Parkland, and while they were swept by the undefeated Trojans, Cowitch said that they really pushed their rivals.

“I thought we played them really well,” he said.

Cowicth said that it was nice to close out the season against a perennial powerhouse the way they did, losing the three sets by just a combined 21 points. He said they served well and were in every game, giving the Trojans all they could handle.

Now they’ll prepare for the upcoming district playoffs. They’re currently slotted in the eighth position among the 4A schools. Cowitch said that where they play depends on where other teams finish, noting that Delaware Valley and Parkland are still looking to nail down the top seed and where they finish may influence who the Zephyrs play in the next round, provided they defeat the Cardinals on Oct. 29. Once again the opening round will be a doubleheader to kick off the District 11 tournament.