Already down a set, the Whitehall boys volleyball team needed something positive to build upon if they wanted to become district champions in the title match against Emmaus.

A second set win would tie the match, with the championship now whittled down to a best-of-three scenario to see who would hoist the trophy. Whitehall took an early lead thanks to kills from Nicholas Herman and Joseph Herman, and then the match seesawed back and forth until the Green Hornets began to pull away midway through the set.

With Emmaus in command 14-21, the Zephyrs regrouped after a timeout and began to slice into that lead as Joe Maamari rallied them from the service line. Their frontcourt also began to assert itself with Logan McGinley and Ethan Parvel rising up for some kills. With the comeback gaining momentum, they finally narrowed that margin to a point, 22-23.

Even with that 8-2 run, Emmaus didn’t lose their composure. They also didn’t wilt despite the raucous Whitehall crowd, and held on for the 23-25 victory in that critical second set. That win catapulted them into the third and deciding set as they delivered the knockout blow to win the District 11 3A championship.

It was a spirited set, one in which the Zephyrs rallied at the end to nearly overtake the Green Hornets.

“I think if that second set would have went our way, we fought back, we were down a bunch and we were able to fight back, I think it’s a big difference,” said head coach George Cowitch.

While he believes it would have changed the momentum, he still knew they had a major hill to climb against such a good team. Even though they’ve now finished second to Emmaus in both the league and district championships, he still believes that his squad is capable of beating anyone.

“We showed that tonight,” said Cowitch.

Emmaus’ road to the finals included a sweep of Nazareth in the semifinals, winning each set by double digits. Cowitch knew it was going to be tough assignment to beat the undefeated Hornets.

“For us to come in here and fight as hard as we did, that’s a testament to who we are,” said Cowitch. “You can never take that away from the Whitehall team.”

The Zephyrs were much better in handling their serves in the district finals.

Emmaus, especially James Haag, didn’t go on extended service runs, something that proved costly in their first two meetings. Libero Kyle Sayre did an outstanding job digging balls and getting them to a spot where Mamaari could make a clean set.

Cowitch said that they just made too many errors. Emmaus, on the other hand, rarely makes errors, and Cowitch said that in sets two and three they forced the Hornets into errors they usually don’t make.

Emmaus was on the opposite side of the PIAA 3A Boys Volleyball Championship brackets, so another encounter was possible in the state finals.

Unfortunately, that won’t happen since the Zephyrs got bounced from the state tourney by Penn Manor, losing in four sets, 18-25, 25-19, 20-25, 18-25. That loss ends a remarkable year for the Zephs.