Coldwater’s Morgan Blasingame blasts a late kill in the third and deciding set of Thursday’s win over #2 St. Henry. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
The #1 and #2 teams in Division VI volleyball squared off Thursday and gave a packed house everything it could have asked for…except those from St. Henry hoping for a win.
Coldwater, OH – There are so many reasons to like high school sports.
The joy of learning…the passion for success…the thrill of victory…and yes, the agony of defeat.
In front of a nearly-packed house Thursday night the state’s #1 and #2 teams in Division VI volleyball gave the fans every bit of that…before #1 Coldwater hattled its way to a three-set victory over #2 St. Henry…25-21, 29-27, and 25-16.
Publisher and editor Sonny Fulks writes the Buckeyes for Press Pros Magazine.com.
The irony of all this…there was enough competion, drama, highs and lows to have satisfied a five-set match. Only, Coldwater showed its true competitive colors over and over, overcoming an 8-1 deficit in the second set, to win it in three. They proved it…#1, indeed!
The youthful athleticism, alone, made you flush with energy one minute…then ache the next. These were two teams who left nothing in the locker room, and expended all they had on the court.
It was almost Olympic in its personality, something you didn’t want to see end. There was that sense…of leaving the 2,000 who came to Coldwater’s Palace to watch, wanting for more. And there was more…!
Aside from the competition, two communities just five miles apart took time prior to the match to console each other over recent hardships…the players wearing Cale Wenning’s #70 during warmups as a tribute. There is a time, say the lyrics from the old Byrds’ classic recording from the 60s – a time to dance, a time to mourn…a time to gather stones together. A time to turn, turn, turn!
St. Henry’s Mylee Kramer drives home a point in Thursday’s #1 vs. #2 Division VI showdown with Coldwater.
The match, itself, was see-saw from the start. People will tell you that volleyball is a game of momentum, and runs. And a 4-0 run by Coldwater seemed to help them over the obvious tension of #1 playing #2. With St. Henry leading 14-13, that 4-0 run helped Coldwater take the lead; and another 8-2 run helped the Cavaliers overcome a late St. Henry surge to take the set, 25-21.
The second set will not be matched for drama in any OHSAA volleyball outcome for the 2024 season. St. Henry jumped out to an early 8-1, perhaps because of a Coldwater momentary letdown after taking the first set. Coldwater came alive, returning the energy with a 7-2 run of their own…and one of the most dramatic competitive exhibitions of the year was on.
Coldwater’s hitting pressure from Spencer Etzler, Morgan Blasingame, and Olivia Broering was intense. St. Henry’s defensive presence at the net was just as determined. And after St. Henry seemed to gain ground with a 5-2 run that staked them to a 21-18 lead, the lead then changed hands four times – for ten minutes – at 23-22, St. Henry, at 24-23, Coldwater, at 26-25, St. Henry, and at 27-26, Coldwater, along with five ties, before Coldwater’s Spencer Etzler claimed a 29-27 win with the final point serve.
“That was a huge turn in momentum for us,” said Coldwater coach Nikki Etzler. “You could feel it going into the third set. It was a coach’s moment.
“But the thing I loved about tonight was how these two communities came out to support volleyball, and a girls’ sport on a Thursday night. I’m just so thankful that we’re able to provide an opportunity like this for our girls. They need to be celebrated for the all the training, the competition, and outcomes like this one. We knew St. Henry was a great team and they weren’t going to give up. They were going to keep chipping away. I was really proud of the girls for their effort.”
Breath-taking effort…Coldwater’s Spencer Etzler went airborne to save this point in the second set.
The second set was a match-changer, and understandably. To have stood on the threshold of a match-tying win for ten minutes, only to see it slip away, St. Henry had to labor through that disappointment to start the third set, while Coldwater received a tremendous boost.
They quickly went up 3-0, then 4-1, and kept pushing the advantage as they played with more confidence, and their offensive pressure became more intensified. They extended the lead to 15-10, and to 17-11 before St. Henry chipped away enough to close the deficit to 18-14 and force a Coldwater timeout.
But out of that timeout Coldwater reclaimed the momentum, again, and used a 6-2 run to claim the set, and the match, 25-16.
“I was like speechless,” said Morgan Blasingame, trying to explain the experience and the outcome. “Give so much credit to St. Henry because they were absolutely amazing. But we had so much energy, and every one of our players was ready to play.”
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The effort by both teams was impressive…memorable.
“We talk about it in practice,” said Spencer Etzler. “You want to practice like you play. We try to be everywhere, all-out on defense, and I think that attitude translated to this game [match]. It was super fun, and pretty intense, but we handled it well.
St. Henry’s Molly Wendel tips a point in front of an attentive audience during the first set of Thursday’s match.
“The second set was insane,” added Olivia Broering, struggling for words. “I couldn’t breathe, every single play. I lost my breath. The ups they had on their side were amazing, but we were able to finish. I’m so proud of our team for that.”
St. Henry coach Tricia Rosenbeck is as competitive as they come, and wore the outcome outwardly as she talked about it afterwards.
“We knew that this would be a special match,” she began. “#1 versus #2, it meant more than just another volleyball game, obviously. Coldwater’s a really good team, the crowd was ready for it, and this atmosphere was just awesome. Coldwater is just so consistent with what they do. Their serve/receive is unbelievable, and Etzler and Blasingame are two very, very talented hitters.
“The second set was special, absolutely. I wish we could have found a way to win it at the end, but we went back and forth with a really good team, we had our chances to push and win that set…but it was a great experience for our players. Now we play another #1 team on Saturday (Fort Loramie), and we’re going to go back to work tomorrow.”
Coldwater improved to 12-0, while St. Henry dropped to 9-2…but as far as changes in the rankings it would be hard to prove that any of the state’s other top ten would move higher simply because someone lost to Coldwater. And for that fact, in the latest OHSAA polls, four MAC teams claim spots in the state’s top ten – Coldwater (#1), St. Henry (#2), Marion Local (#3), and New Bremen (#7).
It was the kind of night where words, alone, fail to do justice. Breathless…insane…fun…intense…and respectful. And as Nikki Etzler acknowledged, a coach’s moment.
So much more…than just volleyball.
Enjoying the moment…Coldwater celebrates the moment following set, and match point in Thursday’s win over St. Henry.
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