By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

KETTERING — Last season, the Versailles volleyball team swept Cincinnati Summit Country Day for a spot in the State Semifinals. This time around on Nov. 2 at Kettering Fairmont High School, the Lady Tigers fell to the Silver Knights in the Southwest Division III Regional Semifinal, 3-1.

It was a back and fourth match throughout the four sets. Head coach Liz McNeilan said the team missed a lot of serves and started the match letting up so balls they normally don’t let up. That threw them off a bit and gave them an early challenge to overcome.

“These girls have faced adversity all season with a lot of things that teams don’t have to go through. I’m proud of them. They know how to fight. We are very young minded, as far as court experience. When you get into bigger games, you’ll see that when you go head to head,” McNeilan said.

The errors started early for Versailles as Country Day took the early lead, 7-2. After a Versailles timeout, the team fought back with their serving and cleaned up the mistakes. The Lady Tigers took a 13-12 lead to force a Silver Knights timeout.

But after that, Country Day fought back and reclaimed the lead. They rode that momentum to a 25-17 set win.

The second set start out close with each team going point for point. It was a 15-15 tie before Country Day found a way to get a slim 22-19 lead. The serving from the Silver Knights late gave them the boost needed to win the second set, 25-19.

With their season on the line, Versailles came out fighting in the third set. They got the early lead until Country Day started to creep back in. After the teams exchanged leads in the middle of the set, Versailles started to gain the momentum needed to get the set win.

Senior Heidi Stammen made a few quick plays that caught the Silver Knights defense off guard and got a few kills. Junior Taylor Wagner was able to pick up some kills attacking from the middle. The serving for the Lady Tigers was helping them this time around.

Versailles won the third set, 25-21. McNeilan said the third set showed how hard the team has worked to get to this point and they were not ready to see their season end. The team dug deep to not only make a comeback within the set, but to mount a comeback in the match.

“It comes down to mentality at this point. It’s just be strong, get that next point, focus on one point at a time,” McNeilan said.

The set win gave Versailles a huge confidence boost to start the fourth set. They started the set on a 6-0 run. Freshman Kiley May got a few early kills. McNeilan said the serve receive helped give the team confidence offensively.

Junior Ava Shardo helped spark the run with her serving in the fourth set. McNeilan said starting out with her gave the team a new rotation that did give them some new life.

But the run would soon end as the Silver Knights clawed back to tie it, 10-10. From that point on, the teams kept exchanging leads.

The set went into extra points. Everytime a team thought they delivered a big punch, the other team got back up and punched back.

Versailles was close to extending the match, but Country Day took the fourth and final set 28-26.

The Lady Tigers fought till the last point to end their season. McNeilan said this team has grown a ton since the start of the season. It all starts with the seniors.

McNeilan said all the seniors have taken on whatever roles or position needed for the team to succeed. Stammen stepped up to be the team’s setter this season. Senior Cassie Bomholt has been a great supporter and has acted like another coach on the bench. Senior Allison Schwartz has been there for the team while battling injuries. Brooke Briscoe, Mia Eversole and Tori Tyo have all put in the work to contribute on a consistent basis.

With their play and leadership, they have turned into a new team this postseason.

“I’ve had numerous amounts of coaches come up to me and they’re like, ‘who is this team that you are playing now.’ It’s kudos to their growth. The seniors have taken them, running them drills and just the leadership and communication,” McNeilan said.

As a whole, McNeilan said it has been great to see the team grow on and off the court. The team will remember the big games, but will most importantly remember the good times they all spent together during this season.

Even though McNeilan will miss these seniors, they will have a lot of talent returning that are eager to keep growing and learning.

“They are willing and they are hungry. I have enjoyed every part of my two years so far. I enjoy going every single day, I enjoy these girls. They make me laugh a lot and they want to grow in their knowledge of the game,” McNeilan said.

Versailles finishes the 2023 season with a 15-12 record.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]