Weiser’s volleyball season ends with tough loss to Fruitland on Saturday

If there is ever a time to give it your absolute all on the court, it is in the runner-up match in the Snake River Valley (SRV) District volleyball tournament if you have any hopes of going to the 3A Idaho State volleyball tournament.  
 This last game is do or die and decides whether the seniors on the team are going to be granted at least two more games with the teammates they have spent the past 3-months with, or if a team gets to go home empty handed.  
 The Lady Wolverines traveled to the home of the Fruitland Grizzlies last Saturday to participate in said runner-up game and in typical Weiser fan fashion, nearly one entire side of the Fruitland gymnasium was filled with Lady Wolverine supporters, hoping to adequately exhibit the community support for this year’s hard-working group of student athletes.
 Both teams were there to play and the match that ensued was easily the best play by the Wolverines all season. They fought for every ball and rallies were long and very exciting with numerous saves, big blocks and eventually a hard kill or a well-placed tip.   
 For nearly the entire first half of the first set, the Wolverines and the Grizzlies traded kills and stuff blocks to the 10-10 mark.  Long rallies seemed to be taking a toll on the Wolverines and a slight lapse in focus resulted in two kills and a ball handling error to give the Grizzlies a 14-10 lead.  Despite time-outs from Head Coach Lindsay Grant, the Wolverines were unable to recover their previous momentum and lost the first set 13-25.
 The Lady Wolverines came out in the second set of the match a different team than had just taken a difficult set loss.
 Reagan Doty began the set with a huge kill to get things started, and the Wolverines were on their way. Tolman recorded a kill and Cordes and Yraguen collaborated on a block, followed up by a Yraguen tip down and re-direction of an overfed pass, taking the lead 7-5.  
 The level of play from both teams was impressive and the rallies seemed to go on forever, but the Wolverines faltered a bit and relinquished their lead 12-12, and continued to slip further and further behind with poor ball handling and errors.  
 Trailing 15-21, the set appeared to be in the hands of the Grizzlies, but an ace serve from McClellan began a scoring surge for the Wolverines.
 A kill from both Doty and Buescher put Lockett behind the service line and the comeback began.  A stuff from Noyer and Tolman, a tip kill from Doty, a well-executed kill off of a slide play by Noyer and a hard hit for the kill from Doty tied the set 24-24.  
 Tolman saw a hole in the corner of the Grizzlies court for the deep set kill and then added a hard kill to win the set 26-24.
 Much like the first set of the game, the Wolverines struggled to get their footing in the third set, quickly falling behind 4-10. A kill from Doty, followed by an ace pulled the Wolverines closer, but a consistent string of positive plays was not to be had and the Grizzlies took the third set 25-16.
 The Wolverines regrouped and once again played a game reflective of their skills in the fourth set. The necessity to win the set was strong and the Wolverines did not disappoint.  
 The Wolverines never trailed from the beginning of the set due to big blocks from the Wolverines and accurate hits and serves to the 12-10 mark. However, a tip kill, a Wolverine error and a Fruitland service ace, prompted a Wolverine time-out due to a tied 13-13 set.  
 The Wolverines stayed with the Grizzlies to the 15-15 mark, but gradually the Grizzlies pulled away due to miscues on the Wolverine side and outscored the Wolverines 8-4 in the second half of the set to take the set 21-25, the match 3-1 and the runner-up title for the SRV Conference.