BY RICH PALZEWIC
SPORTS EDITOR
DE PERE – Despite dropping the first set and almost the second, the Bay Port volleyball team rallied to defeat De Pere 3-1 Oct. 9 at De Pere High School.
The 20-25, 27-25, 25-18, 25-22 victory for the Pirates improved their Fox River Classic Conference record to 6-2, while the Redbirds dropped to 3-5.
“We ground out the win,” said Bay Port head coach Brendan Baier. “We certainly could have played better in all areas, but we found a way to win.”
After dropping set one, Bay Port held a comfortable 24-18 lead in set two, only to see De Pere rattle off six straight points to tie the match at 24. Junior outside hitter Brooke Clement put an end to the run by booming a kill down the line to stop the momentum and change the course of the match.
Bay Port went on to win sets two, three and four.
“In volleyball, it’s very hard to come back from a 2-0 deficit,” Baier added. “In this sport, energy and momentum is such a big key.”
Clement ended the night with 12 kills and 16 digs, while setter Raegan McIntyre had 31 assists and 11 digs. Alyssa Koska and Olivia Schaut each had 13 kills. Shelby Stelzer and Koska added 16 and 12 digs, respectively.
De Pere came out strong in the match, jumping out in front 18-8 in the first set and cruising from there.
“What it came down to, the first set we served aggressively and the second set Bay Port was able to capitalize more on our serve until the very end when we came back,” said De Pere head coach Stephen Gladwell. “Bay Port has good hitters – when they are in system, they are a tough team.”
Brianna Geurts led the Redbirds with 16 kills. Anna Heling had 25 assists, while Natalie Cerrato contributed 24 digs.
Baier is expecting a No. 5 seed in the upcoming WIAA regional, which would mean a home match Oct 18. The Pirates won their first-ever regional title a season ago.
Gladwell is expecting anywhere from a No. 6 to a 9 seed at regionals, with the top eight seeds getting a home match to start things off.
“Nobody thinks we are as good as we are,” Gladwell added. “We’ve shown good spurts, but it’s about who you face and how good you are when you play them. I’m excited about the tournament and I think we can shock some people with whatever seed we get.”
Editor’s note: Bay Port will host its annual “Dig Pink” night Thursday, Oct. 11, when it hosts Green Bay Notre Dame in the regular season finale. There will be raffles and silent auction items.
Box score
Bay Port: 20, 27, 25, 25 – 3
De Pere: 25, 25, 18, 22 – 1