The Hatchet girls pulled into a first-place GNC tie with Rhinelander after crushing the Hodags in three games last Tuesday.
Tomahawk spiked its path to 25-20, 25-17 and 25-22 victories.
“When Rhinelander defeated us 3-2 at the first GNC tournament it put a bitter taste in our mouths,” THS coach Jen Pfannerstill said. “We did not play very well on that Saturday and the loss hurt. I definitely think it became a little personal (Tuesday) night because they had taken something away that we worked really hard for and took pride in.
“But the irony of that is that the focus we had and the willpower and drive to come back in the third set when we were down by as many as eight was fueled by the feeling of that loss. I think our team tonight became a good team. They learned to deal with adversity, pressure from the other side of the net and a loud crowd.”
While the Hatchets held sway most of the first two sets, they were forced to rally in the third.
“In the first two games, the girls took control and were very focused,” Pfannerstill said. “They were aggressive from the start. In Game 3, they fought back from behind and really stayed steady, earning that comeback point by point, trying to keep the pressure on Rhinelander and catch them before they hit 20. We took the first lead at 19-18 in the third and really fought for every last point. I think Rhinelander got rattled and didn’t pass very well. Our servers were aggressive and put them on the defensive right away at times, and that was crucial. I wish we could have taken care of our block a bit more at times, but then again at other times, I thought the block was what was keeping us in control.
“We told them that there are no longer any freshmen on the team, at least for tonight. They played with composure and poise and we are really proud of the way they represented Tomahawk volleyball and reminded all of us what that means.”
On-court production came from: Anna Nyberg (19 kills, 14 digs); Alex DuPlayee (5 k, 12 d); Becca Doughty (4 aces, 4 blocks, 32 assists, 4 d); Hanna Meyer (5 k, 3 aces, 6 d); Hanna Doughty (5 k, 5 bl); Amanda Schneider (3 ac, 6 d); Emily Schneider (4 k, 2 bl). Meyer aced to win the first game, and A. Schneider aced with the score 23-22 in the third.
Both squads held 6-1 records in the Great Northern. THS is 23-8 overall, while RHS is 31-6.