By Seth Vanderwest
LocalSportsJournal.com
WHITE CLOUD–The White Cloud volleyball team took the court Wednesday night in district semifinal action. They slipped past the Bulldogs of Ravenna in five sets to advance to the district finals.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 10-3 lead to begin the night. White Cloud struggled to find their footing early, with mishits and muffed serve returns plaguing the Indians. The tall Ravenna frontcourt, led by junior Ellerie Moy, also posed a major challenge for the Indians. Moy finished with 11 kills and 7 blocks. Ravenna took the first set 25-18.
In the second set, Ravenna mishits and ramped up pressure from the Indians resulted in White Cloud taking an early lead. The Bulldogs cleaned up their play to tie the set at 21. After a back-and-forth battle, White Cloud came out on top with a 28-26 victory and their first set. Senior Gaby Reeve came through with an ace in the final point for the Indians.
The third set saw Ravenna jump out to a 10-1 lead and never look back. Libero Lydia Morey had three aces en route to a 25-17 win to put the Bulldogs up 2-1.
A back-and-forth battle in the fourth set eventually gave way to a 25-19 White Cloud victory, tying the match at 2 sets apiece.
The White Cloud backcourt stepped up in the fifth set, stopping many would-be points by the Bulldog attackers. The Indian defense, combined with several unforced errors from Ravenna, resulted in a 15-8 White Cloud win.
“I feel like we did a great job picking ourselves up,” said White Cloud head coach Desirae Strait. “This season, we have had a tough time getting past our mistakes, and tonight we were able to brush them off and push through.”
White Cloud now advances to the district final against Kent City. The match is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Thursday (tonight).
