9/13/22 Whitmore Lake at Southfield Christian

8^th Grade

13 – 25, 25 – 27, 11 – 15

Last night, at Southfield Christian, Whitmore Lake took to the court for their third match of the season.  In the first set, you could tell that playing three matches in a row without any practices in between was taking its toll on the Trojans and there wasn’t any energy on the Trojan side of the court.  Aliyah Baker and Sophia Chemotti were able to put together two runs of three during their service rotation, but outside of that there wasn’t much going on for the Trojans and Southfield Christian easily won the first set 25 – 13.  The second set started off better and after giving up the first three points Whitmore Lake took the next four.  Next up was the Eagles ace server at the line, who rattled off eight points before Whitmore Lake could get a stop.  It didn’t matter though, as Whitmore Lake, off the Baker serve, stormed right back to tie the set at 11.  The Eagles took a two point lead and held on to that until the set was at 24 – 21 when Whitmore got the crucial side out to keep the match alive.  Chemotti was next up at the serving line and turned into a diamond under the pressure.  She served two points to bring the set to 23 – 24.  Southfield Christian took a time out to try ice Chemotti, but she would have none of it.  She served another two points to take a 25 – 24 lead and just like the Trojans planned during the timeout she made a perfect serve on game point, but after a good rally with the Eagles, the ball landed on the Trojan side of the net, giving Southfield Christian the side out to tie the set at 25.  The eagles served up an ace to take them to game point and on the ensuing serve the Trojan pass hit the low ceiling and dropped to the floor giving the Eagles a hard fought win at 27 – 25.  In the final set Whitmore Lake was fired up and pouring on the points early for a 9 – 5 lead, but then the Southfield Christian ace server was up again and added her own wave of points for a 10 – 9 lead.  Whitmore Lake got one more shot with Mila Proimos making a couple of nice serves before dropping the set 11 – 15.  Once Whitmore Lake woke up, they played well and did an excellent job not letting the many tips by the Eagles hit the floor.  When the volleys were turning into a net game, Phoenix Wilson played smart and would push the ball deep realizing the Eagles had the height advantage at the net, and Baker continues to have great communication and passing on the court.  Chemotti is becoming more comfortable on the court and making big contributions to the team while Josie Marcum continues to improve with each match after missing nearly a week of practice from an illness.  The girls will finally get a chance for some practice and have a few days off from matches with their next match on Tuesday, September 20.  After the tough loss, the Trojan record falls to 1 – 2 (0 – 2 MIAC).