Heading into the NorWOSSA playoffs last Thursday in Kenora, the Muskie senior girls’ volleyball team had been streaky during the record season en route to a 2-6 record.
So which team would be at NorWOSSA? Would it be the Muskies that won 3-1 against the Kenora Broncos two days earlier, or the squad that had lost three-straight to the first-place Dryden Eagles the week before?
The black-and-gold looked like the latter in the early going of the semi-final against the host Broncos—losing the first set 25-23 after leading for most of the way.
But they battled back in the second set, opening up a 10-1 lead before eventually hanging on to escape with a 26-24 win to even the best-of-five match at 1-1.
Kenora then cruised to a 25-18 victory in the third set, but the Muskies—with their backs to the wall—answered with a 25-22 win to force a fifth-and-deciding set.
Kenora led the fifth set (which only goes to 15) by a 9-6 margin at one point, then the Muskies led 12-10 before the Broncos squared the score at 12-12.
But it was all Fort High after that thanks to the serve of Kate Basaraba, which proved to be the deciding factor. The Muskies won 15-12 to advance to the final against the first-place Dryden Eagles.
The final was four hours away, and it was a game the Muskies had thought about all season long. They expected to be in a showdown against the Eagles for NorWOSSA gold and a berth at NWOSSAA—and anything else would have been unacceptable.
“It would be so disappointing if they didn’t get past Kenora,” head coach Char Bliss had said after the Muskies’ 3-1 win over the Broncos in the regular-season finale here Feb. 15.
“It will be the biggest disappointment that they’ve had all year,” she had added.
But Kenora was now in the rear view mirror while Dryden would be their next stop—and things looked well at the beginning of the highly-anticipated match.
The Muskies jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the opening set but Dryden bounced back. In the end, there were 10 ties (including 24-24) before the black-and-gold were able to take advantage of a Rylee Broman hit from the offside and a Natalie Desjardins serve to pull out with a 26-24 win.
Needless to say, that brought looks of confusion from the Dryden faithful and cheers of delight from the Muskie supporters.
But Dryden promptly showed why they were the two-time defending NorWOSSA champs with a 25-15 victory in the second set to even the match at 1-1.
The Eagles then took the third set 25-19 to leave the Muskies on the brink of elimination for the second-straight match.
“This ages me. I feel like I’m getting gray hairs,” said Bliss, who appeared to be playing musical chairs during the match. “My blood pressure is going off the charts and my heart’s racing.
“But I’d rather be like that than sit there and be disappointed with how they’re playing,” she added.
Playing fearlessly, yet controlled, passionately, yet reserved, the Muskies, with the help of a superb back-court defence and blocking schemes, tapped into their reserve fuel tanks to play one of the best sets they have all year.
With the score tied at 16-16, the black-and-gold were able to capitalize on several Dryden miscues to take the set 25-21 and force the fifth-and-deciding one.
“They [the Eagles] were scared, and their coach was really mad,” noted Broman.
Unfortunately, the Muskies appeared to use up all their energy to win the fourth set. Although they got as close as 10-7, the Eagles cruised to a relatively easy 15-7 win to capture the match.
“We made them work for it. We played hard and we lost, but we made them work for it,” Broman remarked.
But even though they had just tasted defeat, the Muskies still had smiles splashed across their teary faces, and held their heads high and shoulders back.
And why not? They had just taken the first-place Eagles to the edge and brought their best game for what was their biggest game.
“We finally came together as a team for the first time this year and did it when it really mattered,” smiled Bryden McCoy, who had played her last game in a Muskie uniform.
Others who are leaving the Muskie program this year include Alex Hyatt, Megan Soderholm, Laura Busch, Thea Semb, Broman, and Basaraba.
“It’s weird thinking I’m never going to be wearing the black-and-gold jersey like this again. It’s going to be really awkward come Monday when we won’t have a practice to go to,” said Basaraba after telling her dad, Al, about their impressive showing via a cell phone.
As the medals were handed out to the two teams, the Muskies may have worn silver to Dryden’s gold, but for what they had been through this season, they deserved to be remembered as only thing—a team that overcame challenges to play like a winner when it mattered most.
“I knew they could do it, and I’m so happy they got to show it today,” said Bliss.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
