The fourth set turnaround by the Whitehall volleyball team proved to be the springboard they needed to end the regular season with a hard fought victory over Parkland.

After trailing by eight points, and behind in sets 2-1 to the Trojans, the Zephyrs rallied to win that crucial set, sending it to the deciding fifth set. Once again they had to come from behind, but a Joseph Herman kill gave Whitehall the 15-11 victory, ending their regular season with an emphatic win over their rivals.

After a back-and-forth battle in the third set that saw five lead changes, with the Zephs eventually tying it 23-23 only to see it slip away, the momentum had clearly shifted to the home team. And when the Trojans vaulted out to that eight point lead in the next set, it seemed that the Trojans would march to victory, handing Whitehall their third loss of the season.

But the Zephyrs comeback began with some kills by Nick Herman, and then started to pick up steam when Parkland began to make unforced errors. Long serves, double hits and good shot placement by the Zephs, combined to turn the tide. They weren’t earning points with monster kills, they were merely putting the ball in play.

“It’s not about how hard you hit the ball, it’s really about the placement and where you want to hit it,” said Logan McGinley who finished the game with 30 kills and 15 digs. “If you put it in a spot where they get it, it’s still a point. It doesn’t matter how you get it, a point is a point.”

Head coach George Cowitch said that they were victims of some unforced errors themselves, and they just needed to settle down and remember to play fundamentally sound.

“We got back to the basics and what we do well, and that was something that was important in that set,” said Cowitch.

Before that happened, Cowitch brought his team together in that fourth set during a timeout. The game was tipping in Parkland’s favor and they needed to get back on track.

“We challenged them in the time out in set four, and said ‘you can either go away, or you can stay around and figure this thing out,’ and it was a testament to them,” said Cowitch.

Cowitch said at this point in the season, the players are well versed in what they need to do on the court. It’s now about what they have in them. And that showed against Parkland.

He also reminded his team during that fourth set timeout, that it was either them or Parkland. They had been in this situation before against Emmaus, trailing by nearly double digits and clawing back to win.

“We’ve been there before, so that’s a good thing to reach back on,” said Cowitch.

McGinley said that they stressed the little things in that critical fourth set. He said that they didn’t have the greatest energy in that set, but somehow they turned it around and then gained some momentum to keep it up.

Whitehall won the second set 25-22, a game in which they kept the pressure on the Trojans the entire way, taking the lead 6-5 and then never relinquishing it. They got kills from Joseph Herman who finished with nine kills, as well as Ethan Parvone and Devin Martinez who helped fuel that win. Kyle Sayre also had a good game, finishing the match with 26 digs.

But Parkland quickly seized the momentum after taking control in that third set. Joey Maamari helped get things rolling in the fourth set as he reeled off four points from the service line, including an ace, that drew them within three at 14-17. Maamari finished the game with 48 assists and 11 digs. They took the lead on a Parkland miss hit, and then two more Trojan miscues gave them the critical win.

Cowitch said while the win was satisfying and it should boost their district seeding, it still didn’t give them the championship they want.

“We just have to come out with better energy because we came out a little slow today [Friday],” said McGinley. “We know what we can do, we just have to keep it going.”