‘WE KNEW IT WASN’T OVER’
Everest Collegiate rallies from two sets down to upset top-ranked Lenawee Christian in D4
BATTLE CREEK >> Up against the top-ranked team in the state, Clarkston Everest Collegiate needed something drastic to change if it wanted to reach its first Division 4 volleyball state final.
Down two sets to Adrian Lenawee Christian, the answer the Mountaineers sought was simply a little belief.
Playing more as a team, Everest Collegiate caught fire and rallied to win three straight sets and set another new program standard by advancing to Saturday’s championship match with a 17-25, 19-25, 25-19, 2516, 15-11 victory.
“I was just amazed of these girls and was so proud to see them coming together like that,” first-year Everest Collegiate coach Danielle Walker said. “We knew it wasn’t over after those first two sets. They had worked so hard and didn’t want to go home. They just played together. It was about every member of the team. They did this together with a common goal and they all wanted to win for each other. That’s what this program has been about.”
In the opening two sets, the Mountaineers weren’t able to get their offense going and failed to get a lot of good looks for their powerful outside hitters, juniors Madelyn Krappmann and Sara Bradley.
Looking outmatched by the Cougars, Everest Collegiate took to a new message coming out of the third set.
“We had a meeting with our school chaplain and he told us to not give into fear and fight to give glory to God, so we united in that message after the second set,” Krappmann said. “We just went out and played so much harder. We just came alive and something happened when we united in that message.”
That’s when things changed. The Mountaineers played like a different team from that point, committing fewer errors and getting better swings at the net.
Bradley was the beneficiary of the better looks in the third set, as she put down eight kills, with the Cougars having no answer for her.
“I think in the first two sets we were playing individually and not as a team,” Bradley said. “The last three sets we went out there and played for each other. It wasn’t about us, it was about each other.”
Once that momentum was established, the Mountaineers just rode the wave from there. Bradley stayed hot in the fourth set while Krappmann joined in. The two combined for 16 kills in the set, with Krappmann finishing it off to force a fifth.
“I think (Everest Collegiate) just got warmed up,” Lenawee Christian coach Tenille Marowelli said of what changed in the match. “They did a nice job of getting the ball to their two outside hitters and getting them going. They started hitting the ball in different places and take advantage of shots. They did a great job of executing their offense.”
Everest Collegiate looked loose stepping onto the floor in the fifth set. The Mountaineers were playing in their first five-set match of the season, but used a little recent history to remain confident.
“One of the coaches put a pamphlet out about Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart last year and how they won (the D4 title) in five sets,” Bradley said. “They went down in the first two and then came back to win the last three. That was our motivation for this one.”
The fifth set played out similar to the previous two and Everest established a 14-6 lead. Lenawee Christian would fight off five match points, but Bradley would close things out with her 25th kill of the match, completing the improbable comeback.
“This just shows that no match is over until that final point,” Walker said. “This shows to just never give up and give in to
that fear, just keep pushing because you never know
what can happen. I know these girls are hungry and they are here to win. That’s a really good team we just played and that match could have went either way. I’m just really
proud of my girls for how they fought.”
Bradley added 23 digs and five aces to go with her 25 kills, while Krappmann had 20 kills, 15 digs and four aces. Erica
Walker dished out 45 assists while Samantha Pietras added 14 digs on defense.
Lenawee Christian was led by Hannah Baker, who had 18 kills with 11 digs.
Everest Collegiate advances to Saturday’s Division 4 championship match where it will face the winner of Leland vs. Crystal Falls Forest Park at 10 a.m.